


Finding Home

by Charmkeeper



Series: Home [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst, Asexual Character, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Happy Ending, Healing, I mention a lot of other characters, M/M, Mainly Promptio, Mentions of past abuse, Multi, Mutual Pining, Not A/B/O dynamics, Slow Burn, Squinting has officially been removed, Squinting might even be removed later, Support, Time Skips, injuries, romantic OT4 if you squint, so much slow burn, you don't even have to squint hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-18 07:16:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 42
Words: 123,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13676889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charmkeeper/pseuds/Charmkeeper
Summary: Prompto had been under Ardyn's thumb for almost a year when he's given to the pack of Noctis Lucis-Caelum as its submissive. He thinks he knows what to expect, Ardyn's made it clear how submissives are to be treated, but instead he finds that werewolves are capable of gentle hands and soft words. His new pack instantly cares and supports him in ways even the people in his human life didn't. They value him not just as their new packmate, but as a person, and they believe he might even more than what Ardyn told him he was.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I have too much time on my hands, I start thinking up AUs for things I like. I guess that means you can blame this story on my having too much idle time in my brain.
> 
> I know I said it up in the tags, but I wanted to make it clear that this is NOT Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamic werewolves. This fic uses some of the same terms, but they don't mean the same things. This werewolf universe is heavily inspired by the novels by Patricia Briggs, and even the plot, at least at first, is heavily inspired by one of her novels. Not everything is the same, and if you read her books, you'll see that it's clear I've changed/ignored a few things, but here we are, and I hope it's enjoyable all the same.
> 
> I have a few chapters for this story already written, and my goal is to update with a new chapter every Sunday (my time) until it's finished, we'll see if I can actually keep myself to timetable.
> 
> The rating here is mostly for swearing, some canon-typical violence, and talk about sex. There shouldn't be anything too graphic, but I want to be safe.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for giving this fic a try, and enjoy!

One of the many things Prompto had never imagined doing in his entire life was riding in a cop car. He'd always been too skittish to break the law, even something as simple as stealing a candy bar on a dare as a teenager had been beyond him. He was in a cop car now, but not because he'd broken the law, he didn't think. People who broke the law didn't usually ride up front with the officer, right?

He worried his lip with this teeth, not quite hard enough to bleed, not that it would matter if it did, Prompto reminded himself, werewolves healed too fast for words, nothing ever lasted anymore, not even the worst of cuts or bruises.

Officer Leonis hadn't told him where he was taking him. Was it to jail? Even though he was still pretty sure he hadn't broken the law? Maybe. Dominant werewolves weren't nice. They were violent, and terrible, and--

"Stop that."

Prompto blanched and accidentally bit down on his lip, drawing blood. "Stop what?" He couldn't stop doing it, if he didn't know what it was. "Biting my lip? I can do that." He was submissive. If Officer Leonis told him to do it, he had to. That was what Ardyn had always said. Submissives always obeyed the orders of a dominant wolf. Ardyn had always made sure to show him why this was the case.

Ardyn wasn't here. Every time he remembered that fact, he wanted to cry, but then he remembered he was now in a cop car, which was potentially way worse.

 _'Is anything really worse than Ardyn?'_ The little voice that had popped up inside him after his change asked. _'Really?'_

Maybe not, but also maybe.

"Being afraid." Officer Leonis' voice dragged Prompto back to reality, out of his head where Ardyn and the little voice lived. "It makes me want to kill whatever's making you afraid, and I know it's me. I am not going to hurt you. I would never hurt you."

Ardyn had always said that. _"I'm not hurting you, I would never hurt you. You're doing this to yourself."_ Prompto had never fully believed it, mostly, but never fully, just as he didn't fully believe that Officer Leonis would never hurt him. There was always something he could do to make the policeman angry enough to strike him, bite him, beat him. He was sure of it. It would be all he could do to try and not do any of those things.

"You don't believe me," Officer Leonis said in a voice that was dripping with soft hurt, and Prompto's heart jumped up to his throat.

"I'm sorry," Prompto said quickly, knowing he had to say it before sadness became anger. "I'm sorry."

"That asshole is who should be sorry. Don't worry, you never have to see him again."

That was another lie. "I'm his. He'll come for me." Safe for now, or rather safer, but Ardyn would always come. He was his pet. Ardyn owned him.

"You were never his," Officer Leonis growled, making Prompto press back further into his seat. "He didn't even bother to make you pack. He never had any intention of taking care of you like you were his. You will never have to see him again. We're going to take care of him, and," the officer spoke in a softer voice now, "We're going to take care of you too."

Yep. He was going to die. They were going to kill him. Today was totally the day the world said goodbye to Prompto, not that it would miss him when he was gone.

Prompto swiped at his lip. The bleeding had already stopped.

They drove in that cop car for another hour, out of the deep city Prompto had known for the last five years and into...what did they call it? Suburbia. The houses were all in neat little rows, and the grass was cut in perfect little lines. The shopping districts were clean and streamlined. New. Money. Rich. It was both boring and fascinating at the same time, and Prompto got lost inside himself driving past ten Panera Breads, sixteen Starbucks, and five Barnes and Nobles (yes, he was counting). It all looked nice, but it also felt like it was Stepford Wives kind of creepy. Everything was kind of creepy.

It wasn't, perhaps, as creepy as Ardyn's den of murder, but still creepy. Subtle creepy.

The panic and fear had receded into a small bundle in his gut by the time they turned off main roads and began to make their way out of towns. It was still...suburbia, with everything carefully planned out, but this was even more money than everything else had been. Huge trimmed lawns, and carefully plotted trees around mansions the size of two apartment buildings back in the city. Yeah. This made sense. If they were going to off him and bury him under a sapling in the manicured lawn, no one would ever suspect a thing out here. Perfect crime.

He sighed, forgetting himself, and then nearly jumped through the roof of the car when Officer Leonis touched his shoulder. It didn't hurt. He wasn't hurting him, and Prompto forced himself to relax a little as the officer began to gently run his palm up and down his arm. Comforting, the touch was meant to be comforting, and Prompto made himself relax a little more. Maybe they'd kill him quickly. He'd...be okay with that. It'd be a mercy.

Eventually, Officer Leonis pulled into the driveway of the biggest mansion he'd seen yet, and right up to the stairs leading up to the front door where a man stood. Said guy was the most well put together man Prompto thought he'd ever seen in person. Gloves, suit, hair pushed up perfectly out of his face, and a face perfectly framed in a pair of glasses. Mob, went Prompto's brain, this guy was definitely a mob assassin. He probably had a gun shoved away in a pocket beneath that perfect suit jacket.

When Officer Leonis opened the door, the suited man's scent entered the car. He was a werewolf too. Definitely mob assassin. A werewolf would make the best mob assassin.

"Ignis?" That was a question.

"Cor." That was not. The suited man, who's name was apparently Ignis, paused for only a moment before he continued on, "Regis has informed me that he would like for us to have the young man."

"Prompto."

"I was not told his name," Ignis admitted, sounding properly chastened by this correction. Officer Leonis didn't object  as Ignis approached the car and opened Prompto's door with those gloved fingers. "That's you, correct? Prompto?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, shrugging his shoulders up to his neck uncomfortably. Ignis had a strong scent, not as strong as Ardyn's, but definitely stronger than Office Leonis. Ignis was dangerous. It would be best to not offend him. "I'm Prompto."

"Wonderful. I'm Ignis, Noctis' second. Would you come with me?" It wasn't phrased like a command, but Prompto knew it was, so he nodded, and unbuckled himself before getting out of the car.

Ignis was already up at the top of the steps, waiting, but Officer Leonis, Cor, stopped him before he made to follow. "Hey, you don't have to worry anymore. Noctis and his pack are good. You'll be safe."

Safe. "Sure. Thanks."

Cor didn't say anything more as Prompto turned to follow Ignis up the steps and into a house so fancy it looked like it belonged on a movie set. There were two stone tables with expensive looking vases on them filled with beautiful flowers. There were more stairs, and the railing was golden in color. The floors and walls were pure marble. For a second, Prompto could not help but stare. So much money and yet the space was so empty. It practically screamed "Look how much money I have, I can afford to just keep my space empty."

"Don't worry," Ignis' voice said right by his ear, causing Prompto to jump, "Only the foyer is like this. The rest of the den is more comfortable."

"Den." Prompto repeated softly. That was what Ardyn had called the warehouse. His "den."

"Yes, the den. For the time being, the west wing has been granted to us. This isn't to say you're limited to that space exclusively, but it might be better if you stick to that side until everyone knows who you are."

"Okay." It didn't sound like they were going to kill him, which was good, even though Prompto wasn't sure of that yet, but what did living mean? Officer Leonis had suggested it wasn't going to be like living with Ardyn, but Prompto couldn't wrap his mind around that idea. It seemed impossible. Good werewolves. Was there such a thing?

Ignis led him up into what must have been the west wing. As promised, the walls had tapered of into normal looking walls, painted a comforting light blue, and the floors were hard wood. The halls were still very bare of things like decorations and furniture, but it had a different feel than the foyer, as Ignis had called it. More homey, he supposed. At the end of the hall was what seemed to be a living room, complete with television, couches, a table, bookshelves, and, off in one corner, a small fridge. It was also a complete mess, with clothes all over the floor, blankets unfolded and draped from the bookshelves, the fridge was slightly ajar, and the trash can was overflowing.

In front of him, Ignis made a noise Prompto deeply suspected was disgust. "What a lovely first impression."

First impression? For him? "Oh! No! It's okay, it's just messy, not...filthy." And that was true. It was just mess, there was no dirt on the floor, or dust on the shelves...blood on the couch... Prompto shuddered and pushed the thought of blood from his mind. "Am I...going to be living here?"

"Certainly not in the living room, no," Ignis said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "But 'here' as in the west wing with us, yes. For now. We are looking for a territory to settle in, but it's not rush, not yet. Why? What did you think was going to happen?"

"I..." Prompto twiddled his thumbs a bit, trying to decide what to say. Lying was out of the question. Ardyn had always known when he was lying, he'd said he could smell it. Prompto couldn't smell a lie, but he suspected Ignis would be able to. "I actually thought you'd...eat...me."

"Eat you?!" Ignis sounded horrified, and Prompto's eyes jumped up to meet his. For the first time, Prompto realized they were a beautiful green. "We would...No. No. Never. I can't even. Just." Ignis took a deep breath and seemed to regain some of his composure. "No. Absolutely not. You're going to be our submissive, if you agree to it, and even if you didn't, we would never eat you. We don't eat werewolves, or humans, or fae, or even vampires. What...do you think we're monsters?"

Yes. Monsters seemed like the perfect word for a werewolf. Prompto shrugged. "We...are...aren't we?"

Ignis sighed again, not angrily, Prompto realized, but sadly. "We...are. In a way, but we still have our freewill. We choose what to do. A monster chooses to be evil. That is not what we choose. Is it what you choose?"

Ignis asked such hard questions, but Prompto was pretty sure he knew the answer to this one, and he continued to hold Ignis' gaze while he shook his head. "I don't want to be anything like him." Ardyn. If Ignis said being a monster was a choice, it was a choice Ardyn made gladly.

Ignis stood still. He stood still for so long that Prompto wasn't sure what he should do, but then Ignis took a step forward, almost closing the gap between them. They were so close that if Prompto had brought a hand up between them, they'd be touching. "I was briefed about what happened to you, Prompto. I suspect what I heard is a drop in the proverbial bucket. We are not all like that, and I am sorry that is all you've learned about us. We...I would like it if you could heal from that. If you'd stay, and let us show you what it's really like, to be a pack's submissive." Their eyes were still locked, and he saw them narrow a little bit, almost suspiciously. "You _are_ a submissive, aren't you?"

"What?" Oh. Oh no. He'd been holding Ignis' gaze. Ardyn had always hit him for it. Submissives weren't supposed to. It was a challenge to a dominant. He didn't want to challenge a dominant. They'd hurt him, perhaps even worse than Ardyn had. He lowered his gaze to the floor quickly. "That's what I was told."

"I see." Ignis seemed as though he were about to say something else, when the a door down the hall opened, and Ignis walked past Prompto, his hand briefly patting against his shoulder in what was probably meant to be a comforting way. "Looks like Noctis is finally awake. Would you like to meet the pack's alpha?"

He didn't, not really, but Prompto nodded and followed after Ignis anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

Prompto didn't know what he really expected an alpha werewolf to look like, but it wasn't Noctis. Noctis was only slightly bigger in stature than he was, and was fair faced, with the most captivating blue eyes he'd ever seen. He also had a look on his face like he'd been out drinking all night and was just getting up after the hangover. Except werewolves couldn't get drunk. Prompto knew. He'd once tried before Ardyn had come for him.

"Specs," Noctis said in a voice still slightly slurred with sleep. "Who's this?"

"If you'd bothered to answer your phone, you would know that this is a very young and abused wolf Cor found on a call yesterday evening. His name is Prompto. He's here on a trial basis while all the fine details are being hammered out. If we're lucky," there was a scolding note in Ignis' voice that Prompto didn't think one should take with their alpha, but if Noctis even noticed it, he didn't seem to mind. "He'll agree to join the pack. As our...submissive."

"What?!" Noctis' face lit up like Christmas morning, and Prompto couldn't hold back a gasp at shock of it. The grin, the delight in his eyes, none of it said predator, and yet that's all Prompto could think of; a predator. "Really? That would be a-mazing! What do we have to do to get you to say yes?"

"Not scaring him into running away as fast as he can would be a good start. I used the word _abused_. Remember?" Ignis' words were clipped, and Prompto didn't like the way he said "abused," like it tainted him or something, but it was apparently the word Noctis needed to hear.

"Right. Right. Sorry." Noctis took a step back, grinning sheepishly, rubbing the back of his bedhead with one hand. "But really, we'd love it if you'd stay with us. We need a submissive, and, you know, they're kind of hard to come by." Prompto didn't really know, but he quickly nodded his head anyway, and Noctis' smile evened out into something more genuinely pleased. "I hope we can be good friends."

"That's quite lovely, Noct, but your father is waiting for you in the north wing. I told him I'd send you as soon as you woke."

Noctis nodded, the smile faltering somewhat. "I'd better go then, but I'll be back, and then we can get to know each other, okay?" Prompto nodded again, and Noctis took off down the hall, running faster than he thought he'd ever seen anyone run.

Ignis tsked. "I apologize for him, he is our alpha, but...he's excitable." While Ignis did sound exasperated, he also sounded fond, and, for the first time, Prompto smiled a little himself.

"Sounds like you guys know each other pretty well."

"Yes. I've known Noctis since he was born," Ignis said with a wistful sigh. "For the better and worse of it. Now, are you hungry?"

Prompto was, and Ignis took him into a different part of the wing, where the largest kitchen he'd ever been in was. "Woah," he said softly, as he heard Ignis urge him to sit at the table. He obeyed a little absently, hands fumbling for the back of a wooden chair and sinking down into a cushion as he tried to take everything in.

"Do you like it?"

"It's huge." Prompto was positive that you could feed an entire restaurant out of this kitchen, easily. More than easily.

"Regis doesn't exactly do small, if we're being honest," Ignis said with a chuckle. "But it definitely gives me space to do everything I intend." In the distance, Prompto heard the whining buzz of a motorcycle engine, and Ignis lifted his head. "That'll be Gladio," he said with a curt nod. "Good. He'll be up in a few minutes, and then you'll have met the entire pack."

"I..." Prompto faltered. He'd been about to say that he hadn't met Regis, who apparently owned the land, and was definitely here right now if he'd "summoned" Noctis, but he also didn't want to sound rude, or like he was questioning Ignis' knowledge. That was a bad idea. "Will have?"

"Yes. Noctis' pack is just the three of us right now. Four, if you decide to join, which we hope you will." Ignis flashed him a smile as he began to take down pots and pans. "We used to all be part of Regis' main pack, but in recent years Noctis has begun chafing under orders, and it was decided that it was time for him to strike out on his own. Gladio and I decided to join him."

Prompto nodded, even though Ignis wasn't looking in his direction, and then, feeling silly, let his eyes side down to the tabletop. It was gorgeous, real wood with a light stain, and the edges were carved in what looked like a pattern that depicted the sun, moon, and stars. He should answer in words, so Ignis didn't think he was ignoring him. "That's why you're in the west wing." It made sense.

The sound of the motorcycle died off. "We haven't found a place to settle yet, to make our own territory. Regis is being very kind in letting us stay here while we search. Most alphas would not be so kind."

"I can imagine." He jumped, when he felt fingers running through his hair, and he looked up to see that Ignis had come to his side, his face looking concerned. "Sorry."

"Don't be. You're not going to heal in a day. You're probably not going to heal in a year, but, if you want us, we'll be here for you."

Prompto didn't know what to say to that. Even before the attack, people hadn't paid much attention to him. He'd kind of just been the chubby kid in school and the awkward nerd after that. He'd always been kind of shy, and then Ardyn had taken what little he'd had and torn it to pieces. Why this pack, no matter how small, would want him, he couldn't imagine. Eventually, he settled on mumbling "Thanks."

"You're most welcome," Ignis said politely, running his fingers through his hair once more before returning to the counter.

After a minute or so of silence, Prompto stopped worrying his lip again and gathered up enough courage to ask, "You said Noctis and Regis were related?"

"Yes. Regis is Noctis' father. Just a warning; Gladio's father, Clarus, is also in Regis' pack. The resemblance between them is...starling at times."

"I didn't know werewolves could have kids."

"I suspect," Ignis said gently, "That there is a lot you don't know. It's possible, for a werewolf to have children. It's difficult. Male werewolves can have children with human females, but only human children. Any werewolf child would be aborted. Female werewolves cannot. It's not that they're infertile, but, as I'm sure you know, the change between forms is very violent, with bones shifting and breaking, our entire insides changing. Any child conceived at the time is lost. For a female wolf to bear a child they would have to not change forms for the entire nine months...this has only been done once. With Noctis. The process killed his mother."

That made Noctis special, didn't it? Prompto wasn't sure he wanted to ask about that yet. "That all sounds really terrible."

"It is," Ignis admitted, "But it also makes children _very_ special to us. Clarus had two children with his human mate, Gladio and Iris, and they were both spoiled rotten with love as children."

Spoiled rotten with love. Prompto wondered what that felt like. "That sounds nice, I guess." He waited a beat before he asked. "Do you have any werewolf family?"

"I first got involved with werewolves because of an uncle I had. He's long gone now though."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm not. He had a good death. That's all we wolves can ask for in the end."

Ignis was chopping an onion now. The smell of it was making Prompto's eyes water from all the way over here, yet Ignis' eyes were dry. He couldn't help but be a little impressed. It couldn't be easy to resist those fumes. "What are you making?"

"In a bit I'll be making sandwiches, but for now I'm prepping beef stew for dinner."

"Noct won't like that," came a voice from the kitchen door, and Prompto nearly jumped out of his skin before his head whirled over in that direction. In the doorway stood the man Prompto assumed had to be Gladio. This, he realized, was what Prompto had expected an alpha wolf to look like; bronze skin with amber eyes, and dark hair. Tall, taller than Ignis even, and Ignis really was tall. He was also built, rippling muscle that a leather jacket could not hide, and the broadest shoulders he thought he'd ever seen. "Too many vegetables."

Ignis made a frustrated sound that made Prompto suspect this was an old argument between them. "Noct can say he's a carnivore from now until _doomsday_ , but that doesn't make it true. I will get him to eat vegetables yet."

"Sure you will," Gladio chuckled warmly, and then turned his head to face Prompto for the first time. For a moment, everything in his brain stopped, and it felt like electricity went through him, right from his nose to his toes. He shuddered, heart hammering in his chest, eyes locked with Gladio, knowing he should look away, but finding he couldn't.

After what felt like an eternity, it was Ignis' shaky voice that broke the atmosphere. "G-Gladio, what is going on?"

"I..." Gladio hesitated, still staring at Prompto as though he'd just seen the night sky filled with stars for the first time, and when he spoke, Prompto realized he wasn't talking to Ignis, but to him. "My wolf. He says you're my mate."

What?

Ignis had the same reaction, only verbally, and he instantly left the onion on the counter and stood between them. "Gladio. Are you certain that's what you're hearing?"

"That what he said. Says." Gladio tried to walk around Ignis, but Ignis wasn't having it, hands shoved at one of those broad shoulders, effectively pushing him back to the doorway.

"No. Go take a walk." When Gladio didn't instantly turn around Ignis's voice dipped down into a growl. "Go walk it off, Gladiolus."

"But--"

"Are you challenging my authority?" Oh man, his tone. That was the tone Ardyn had always used when he'd tried to fight orders, when he'd done something wrong, when he was about to be punished. Low, soft, and endlessly dangerous. That was the tone of a dominant werewolf talking to those under him. Shit.

Gladio's eyes instantly dropped away from Prompto and went to the ground in a show of submission. Good. Maybe disaster wouldn't strike. Maybe he wouldn't see death today. "No. Of course not. I'll...be back."

"Good. Lunch will be ready when you return." It was amazing, how quickly Ignis had gone from that dangerous tone to something genuinely gentle. The instant Gladio had obeyed, Ignis had stopped being angry. Ardyn hadn't worked like that. It was different. It was good. Prompto thought he could live with that.

" 'Kay."

Gladio walked out, and it was like time started moving again. Prompto breathed in and found that he was shaking. "Prompto, are you all right?"

"I don't know." The fingers in his hair returned, and he looked up to Ignis' face, filled with confusion and concern. "I'm sorry that I don't know. I'm sorry I made you mad at Gladio."

"It's all right. I wasn't angry, not really, and it wasn't you. It wasn't him either, not really." Ignis sighed. "I just knew that he needed to walk...whatever that is off. Gladio is the most rash of all of us. It comes with his youth." Ignis gave a dry chuckle that Prompto knew he didn't mean. "He'll be all right once he thinks it through. He won't harm you."

"What did he mean...I'm his mate?" Was that the electricity he'd felt? Was that his body telling him the same thing? Gladio had described it as his "wolf." Was that what it had been?

"You know what a mate is, right?"

Prompto nodded. Basically he did, at least in nature and from biology class. Here though...this was a topic Ardyn had never touched on at all. "Sort of like...married? Except just sex."

Ignis laughed, and Prompto blanched, worried that he'd said something wrong, but then Ignis' fingers didn't just run through his hair, but ruffled it affectionately, and Prompto relaxed. "Not...quite. Not for us, anyway. It _is_ like marriage, but deeper, stronger, more permanent. It's like pack, but deeper, more connected. I don't know on a personal level, I've never chosen a mate, but it's a _very_ special bond. It also doesn't happen like that, not that I have ever heard of. It's normally more of a regular courting. The human side of you dates someone, and falls in love, and then eventually asks their wolf if they approve. Everyone involved has to agree before the bond sets. I've never heard of a wolf just picking their mate without the human side choosing first, and certainly never at first sight." Ignis sighed, drawing his hand away. "No wonder Gladio was so discombobulated."

"Is it...bad?" Was it him? Had he somehow fucked up the way Gladio was supposed to work?

"I don't believe so. Just odd. It certainly complicates things, but it'll be okay. If you don't want it, you have to tell him. He'll back off, if you tell him. Like I said, everyone has to approve." 

"I don't know what I want." He could still feel the electricity in his veins. Not painful, but powerful. It had meaning, but still, he wasn't sure. How could he be sure? Everything was happening so fast he was surprised he wasn't spinning.

"Then think about it, and tell him you're doing that too. Communication is important, but don't fret over it too much. All right? You're a werewolf, you have eternity to think, if you're careful." Prompto nodded. "Good. Now, what do you like on your sandwiches?"


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Gladio returned to the kitchen, Ignis had made ten sandwiches and was working on the eleventh. "Three for each of us?" He asked by way of greeting when he walked in, and Ignis nodded.

"Noct will be hungry by the time he's done. I'll leave them out for him."

"He'll appreciate it. Even though he won't say it."

Ignis looked up from his task, his face contorted in an expression of worry that Prompto was sure hadn't been there a second before. "Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah, thanks, Iggy. For making me."

 Ignis seemed almost offended as he responded; "I only do what's best for the pack."

"Still. Thanks." Gladio was grinning, and the tension from before was completely gone. Prompto found himself smiling, just a little, at the exchange between them now. They were obviously old friends, but he was glad that whatever it was that was going on hadn't gotten between them.

After a moment, two plates were shoved into Gladio's arms, and the man came to the table, a shy smile on his face as he sat down in the seat farthest from Prompto. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"It's okay," Prompto whispered, "You didn't hurt me."

"Doesn't matter. Iggy was right. I was out of line, and was gonna get worse. It was just...a shock. I've never felt anything like it."

A shock, huh? "I felt that too, a shock."

"Yeah?" Prompto nodded. "Maybe I'm not crazy. I kind of thought I was." Gladio rubbed his neck, and over by the counter, Ignis raised his head, giving the back of Glado's skull a very distinctively disapproving look. Prompto wondered if Gladio hadn't felt that stare, because after a second he stopped, and that shy smile returned. "Anyway, I'm Gladio."

"I know. Ignis told me." He looked down at the table, and lightly tugged at his fingernails. "I'm Prompto. I, uh...might be joining the pack."

"Yeah? That'd be nice, though, I'm warning you, we're a bunch of really dominant wolves. Might not be good to add more dominance to that until we find a submissive."

Prompto felt his face heat up a little, and he bit his lip, hard. "I, uh, I'm a submissive."

"Really?" He could almost taste the surprise in Gladio's voice, and he looked up to that face, it was twisted into a frown. "You just don't really...scream submissive to me."

He didn't? "I'm sorry?"

"No, just..." Gladio sighed, reaching up and pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's fine, good even, that you are. I just wouldn't have pegged you as one." Gladio slid one of the plates across the table to him. "I would peg you as too skinny though. Eat up. We werewolves need to eat a lot."

"Sure."

A little too quickly perhaps, he picked up one of the sandwiches and took a bite out of it. Then he stopped mid-chew as the taste of the sandwich hit his brain, and Gladio laughed, clear, loud, and lovely. Prompto felt his face heating up again. "Good, huh? Iggy makes the best food. Even sandwiches." Gladio didn't wait for a reply before he tore into one of his own sandwiches, throwing a thumb's up of approval in Ignis' direction as he himself sat down at the table.

"Look at you _wolfing_ that down."

Between bites, Gladio groaned. "Iggy, please. No puns on the first day."

Wait. Puns? Prompto had to think about it for a second before he caught on, and when he did, he laughed, earning him surprised stares from both of the other people at the table, and he immediately stopped. "Sorry," he said, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth. "It was funny."

"Look at that, Gladio. He thinks I'm funny. Looks like you'll just have to _swallow_ your pride."

Prompto softly laughed again, and Gladio groaned, apparently resigned to his fate.

When all the sandwiches except for Noctis' were gone, Ignis sat back in his seat, and just that simple switch made the man look younger, Prompto thought. The glasses and clothes made him look very mature, but when he sat back like that, they looked like they could actually be close in age. "I was thinking--"

"Always a dangerous thing," Gladio chuckled at his own joke while Ignis gave him a look that suggested he was very seriously considering kicking him under the table.

 "Anyway, I was thinking, if Prompto is going to stay here, he'll need things. He didn't come with any, unless they're in the back of Cor's car." Ignis paused. "Are they? In the back of Cor's car?" Prompto shook his head no, and Ignis nodded, continuing. "I don't want to get him a lot, just some changes of clothes, toothbrush, hairbrush, and then maybe something of his own. Not an essential. Do you have any hobbies, Prompto?"

It seemed like such an innocent question, and yet his heart jumped up into his throat, feeling pressure, as though he had to have good answer. "I..." he faltered, and he closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "I majored in photography. Before." Neither one of them asked what 'before' meant. Prompto was grateful.

"A camera then, perhaps. A nice one, obviously, not the little disposables you can get at Walmart. A phone too, so he can get in contact with us, or whomever."

"We all going on this shopping trip?"

"Obviously not Noct. He's still talking with his father, and I _do_ have things yet to do today. I was hoping you were free to take him, and that..." Ignis let his voice drift off, but Gladio was apparently able to fill in the blanks.

"It's fine. I'm not going to try anything. You can trust me."

Ignis must not have sensed any lies, because he nodded and thmturned back to Prompto. "Would you be all right with that? Going just with Gladio?" They were being very careful with him, Prompto was starting to realize. Not really giving him commands so much as asking him questions, asking him to do this, or that. It was perhaps that idea, more than anything else, that made him agree. "Good, I'll make sure to inform Noctis where you both are." Ignis got up to his feet and began collecting the dishes before he paused again. "Oh, and Gladio?"

"Yeah?"

"Do take the car and not the motorcycle." Ignis was not nearly so subtle with his commands to Gladio.

"Aye-aye."

The drive back out into town was nearly as quiet as the drive in, except the car that Noctis' pack owned was bigger and more comfortable than Officer Leonis' cop car, and, well, Gladio liked to listen to music. Which was nice, actually. The sound filled the void around them without them actually having to talk, and Gladio's taste wasn't bad. A lot of 80's rock, surprisingly mixed with modern pop, which was almost exclusively filled with sappy love songs.

To Prompto's surprise, Gladio pulled into Walmart first. "I thought Ignis didn't want us going here?"

"Iggy _is_ kind of prejudiced against getting clothes from here. If you can't tell, he dresses for the finer things in life, and he's got the control to back it up. The rest of us have learned that when you find you have to Change unexpectedly, it's better to lose a pair of sweats from Walmart in the woods than it is an Armani suit. I mean, if you're a bit more of a fashionista, I'll definitely take you to Iggy's shopping ground, but...do try to not wear that stuff around full moon. It's expensive."

Prompto shook his head. "Walmart's good." Honestly, the less money spent on him, the better. Goodwill had been his go to place for years anyway. Walmart was actually a step up.

Inside was the cleanest Walmart he'd ever been to, also the biggest, and he spent the next hour picking out clothes and shoving them all in a cart. For the most part, it went without incident, and, at the end of it, Prompto was trying to figure out how much of this he would have to put back when something was shoved on his head, and Prompto panicked, scrambling to get it off. An instant later, he felt like an idiot to find it was just a beanie hat, and he felt terrible at the look of pure regret on Gladio's face. "Sorry. Really. I forgot you're probably touchy. I just thought you'd like it."

He did like it. It was red, and soft, and loose. It was just the sort of thing he would have bought for himself had he seen it. "Sorry I panicked," he said softly. "I do like it."

"Yeah?"

Prompto nodded. "Yeah." He was rewarded with a smile, a nice smile. Nothing at all like Ardyn's. He could get used to these smiles. "So...uh..."

"Yeah? Spit it out."

"What's my budget?"

Gladio raised an eyebrow. "Uh, you don't have one. Period."

Surprise and panic bubbled over inside him immediately. "What? No! I have to have a budget!" He was never going to be able to pay this back anyway. It wasn't like he had a job. He'd had two jobs before, but they were obviously long gone now. Not showing up kind of tended to get you fired. "I-I can't just get all of this!"

"Sure you can. Iggy didn't say 'Go get him clothes and spend under one hundred and fifty dollars.' He said 'Go get him clothes, and a phone, and a nice expensive camera while you're at it.' So it's all for you and then some."

It just didn't sit right in his stomach, sort of jostling the half digested sandwiches around, and Prompto gave a soft groan before, "I'll pay you guys back." Somehow. He'd figure it out.

"Don't bother. Noct's good for it, and trust me, if you join the pack, you'll more than earn your keep. It's _pack_. There's no debt between us."

"I still haven't said yes," he pointed out.

Gladio raised that eyebrow again. "You planning on saying no?"

Prompto bit his lip once again, thinking back to Ignis' kindness, his delicious food, and gentle touch. He'd only seen Noctis for a moment, but his smile and demeanor had seemed so genuine, and once upon a time, Prompto would have given his right foot for the friendship of such a person. Gladio...he seemed rough around the edges, and he was still nervous about what he said about mates, but he seemed good too. It seemed good here. What seemed too good to be true usually was, but _anything_ was a step up from where he'd been. "I don't."

"Then consider this your gift for signing up. You know, like those phone contracts, sign up now, get a free next-gen phone...speaking of." Without another word, Gladio led him back to the electronics section to pick out a phone. "You need help picking one?"

"No, I'm good with this sort of thing. Should I get a burner phone?"

"Nah, one of those pay as you go phones, but not like...Tracfone. 'S Stupid. Something nice, but no contracts."

"Okay." Technically, that left him with the Apple phone that most people would jump for as an option, but Prompto thought Apple phones were terrible and overpriced, despite the hype, and, in the end, Prompto picked out a mid-grade Samsung and the basic phone card package, and escaped to the checkouts with Gladio.

"Is that the kind of phone you'd normally pick out for yourself?"

Prompto nodded. "I think so. I've...kind of been out of the loop for a year, so I don't recognize all the model numbers anymore, but it seems decent. I'm usually not wrong about these things." If there was one thing Prompto could admit that he knew about, it was technology. Even admitting that he was out of it enough that he didn't know all the latest models was kind of a punch to his pride.

"Cool, so you can help me pick out my next phone."

"Oh. Yeah. Absolutely, once I get back into knowing what's what."

"Sounds good," Gladio said with that _smile_ , and Prompto decided the ground looked very interesting and it needed further studying.

After Walmart, Gladio stopped at a restaurant Prompto had seen a lot of, but never been inside. "Noodles and Company."

"Yeah," Gladio said. "It's been a couple hours since we ate. We'll stop here real quick and then get you that camera." Gladio paused for a beat, before adding, much more softly,

"Don't tell Iggy I'm cheating on his noodles though. He'll get upset." Prompto wasn't sure if this was a joke or not. On one hand, it seemed a bit much to get upset over a bowl of noodles, but on the other hand, Ignis did seem to take his cooking very seriously. In the end, Prompto settled on smiling and nodding before they stepped up to order. "Can I get a regular sized bowl of spicy korean beef noodles, and...what do you want?"

Truthfully, Prompto didn't really want anything. He'd eaten three sandwiches just a couple hours beforehand, and so had Gladio, how could anyone still be hungry? Twice, Prompto opened his mouth and then closed it before asking, "What would you recommend?"

"What? You never been here before?" Prompto shook his head no. "Mac and cheese then. Classic. Extra sauce, if you would."

When the food came out to them, it smelled good, really good, actually, and Prompto's stomach actually growled, betraying his earlier meal. "Eat up," Gladio said before he dug into his own food.

Prompto stared at his own bowl for a moment. It did smell really good, but, "Ugh. I am going to get so fat." Again. It was going to be like when he was a kid all over again. A fat werewolf, what a laughing stock.

"Not possible." Gladio said between bites. "Literally. Not. Possible."

"How is it not possible? This probably has a thousand calories in it."

"Did the pack you were with before not tell you anything?" He hadn't really been in a pack, but Prompto shook his head anyway. Ignis himself had already professed that it seemed like he didn't know very much about being a werewolf at all. Gladio sighed, exasperated. " We werewolves have a really high metabolism. Upside: We can eat anything we want, all the time, and not worry about it. Downside: We starve to death pretty easily, and can't get drunk. I do miss getting drunk."

That, like a lot of things today, made sense. "So that's why I can't get drunk anymore."

Gladio nodded. "There are stories that say Nyx managed it once, but I'm also pretty sure if Nyx did it, he did it by pouring pure moonshine down his throat for a week straight with no sleep or anything in-between. Not worth the effort."

That was both impressive and scary. "Who's Nyx?"

"A member of Regis' pack. You'll probably meet him eventually. He's nice. Cheeky, but nice. Anyway eat up. You can't get fat, might as well use it to your advantage and eat food."

He ate the mac and cheese, hesitantly at first, but then with the fervor of someone who hadn't eaten properly in years. "Shut up," he said when the noodles were about half gone, and he noticed that Gladio was watching him with an amused smile on his face.

"I didn't say anything."

"But you were thinking it."

"Maybe I was," Gladio admitted with a bit of a chuckle. "Do you want more? I can get more."

"No," Prompto grumbled, and Gladio full on laughed.

"You know I can tell when you're lying, right?"

"Shut up," he grumbled again, sinking lower into his seat, knowing full well that his face was beet red. "Ignis is making stew, I don't want to totally ruin my appetite."

"I can't blame you there. He does make good stew." With that, they lapsed into mostly comfortable silence again, and it remained that way between them until they got to the camera shop.

Like everything else in the area, the camera shop screamed suburbia. People roamed the displays with khakis, polos, and sweaters tied over their shoulders, little dogs stuffed away in purses, and no white, since it was (probably) after Labor Day. Even the walls had the sense to be khaki colored with a blue stripe running down the middle. By comparison, Prompto, in his faded t-shirt, jeans, sneakers, and in need of a good bath, felt out of place. Even Gladio, who obviously had zero interest in cameras, and was wearing sweatpants, looked more in place than he did.

Determined to be in and out as quickly as possible, Prompto made his way over to the cheap cameras, and had been trying to find the cheapest one that would actually function in a professional capacity when he felt Gladio tap his shoulder. He didn't freak out this time, even though his heart hammered in his chest. "What is it?"

"Are these good cameras? Or just cheaper cameras?"

"Cheaper," Prompto admitted after a moment. Definitely cheaper.

"That's no good. Iggy said--"

"I don't care what Ignis said!" Prompto yelled softly, keeping his tone down as to try and not disturb the other customers. "I don't want you to spend over a thousand dollars on me! Just for a camera!" How could he possibly allow that? They'd been so kind to him already. He couldn't abuse it. If they insisted on buying him a camera, he could start with a cheap one, maybe get a job again, and then save up for a more expensive one.

Gladio frowned, the lines of it digging deep into his handsome features. "I can't take you back until you pick out a good camera. Go look at them. Right now."

"No." The word was out of his mouth before he realized it, but its effect was immediate. Gladio leaned back looking as though Prompto had punched him in the face, and Prompto himself clapped his hands over his mouth. Gladio had given him an order, and he'd said no. Shit. Shit-shit-shit. He had to take that back. He had to make it better before Gladio snapped. "Sorry!" He hissed between his fingers before moving passed him to the area in contest. Hopefully that would be enough. Hopefully Gladio wouldn't hit him, or kick him, or starve him, or--

"Hey," Gladio's voice was very soft in his ear, but it still took all of his restraint to not run. "Why don't we compromise? There's gotta be an in-between kind of camera, right?"

"Yeah," Prompto squeaked.

"Why don't you pick one of those."

"Okay."


	4. Chapter 4

The sun had started to set by the time they actually made it back to the mansion, and despite the incident in the camera shop, Prompto felt pretty good. Nothing else had gone wrong, and the camera he'd picked really was quite good for the price. Also, Gladio didn't seem angry anymore either, which _might_ have been a trick, but Prompto was hopeful that it wasn't. Ardyn had sometimes pretended to not be mad when he really was, but concealing emotions seemed more like something Ignis would do, rather than Gladio. Maybe, if he never did it again, Gladio would let his one insubordination go.

Inside the mansion, Prompto could hear laughter, and as they approached the front door, a man, a wolf, stumbled out with a grin, only for it to falter when he saw Prompto. "He's with me," Gladio said softly, by way of explanation.

"I figured," the man said in reply, though that curious look remained on his face until he and Gladio were inside.

"That," Gladio said when they had made it all the way up to the start of the west wing, "Was Nyx."

Well. Prompto supposed that now he had a face to put to the name. "He didn't seem nice _or_ cheeky."

Gladio chuckled. "Give it time."

Prompto could smell the stew long before they got anywhere near the hallway that went off toward the kitchen, and despite the fact that his mouth watered and his stomach complained, they went to the living room, which at some point had been picked up and was now at least moderately neat. The television was playing some courtroom program, and on the couch sat Ignis, who was reading a book and completely ignoring it, and a very large, fluffy, black dog who was watching the screen intently. Said dog perked up the moment they got in the doorway, tail wagging incessantly as it leaped off the couch and bounded toward them. It took Prompto too long to notice the bright blue eyes and then realize that this was not a dog at all, but a werewolf.

"Noctis?" The tail began to wag even faster, confirming the idea. Excitement filled him. "Oh-em-gee. You are so adorable! Can I touch you? Please let me touch you!" Noctis the Wolf made exactly zero complaints as Prompto knelt down and began to rub those ears. They were heavenly soft, and there was so much fur! He let his fingers run over the silky fur and a small noise of happiness escaped his lips. He'd only ever seen what he himself looked like in wolf form. He hadn't realized that not everyone was the cliche gray wolf of the woods! Noctis was such an adorable wolf! The most adorable! "Who's a good wolf? You are! Yes! You!" He stopped short. Wait.

Prompto looked up to the couch where Ignis sat, though he was definitely no longer paying any attention to his book and was instead looking at them with a distinctly amused expression. "Is this insulting? Am I insulting the pack alpha right now?"

"He's amused." Ignis said with a quirk of his lips. "Very amused. Feel free to continue."

"Hell, _I'm_ amused," Gladio added, "Keep going even if he's pissed."

Noctis allowed himself to be fussed over like a domestic dog for another five minutes that included baby talk, belly rubs, and tricks like "Give me some paw", before he apparently grew tired of it, and then simply knocked Prompto over and lied on top of him, tail wagging somewhat less enthusiastically.

"All right," Ignis said, setting the book aside completely and getting up to his feet. "Are you ready to eat now?" Noctis gave out a low whine that Ignis must have taken to mean yes, for he then said, "Then you'd better change back. You know we don't eat in wolf form here." Noctis the Wolf huffed against Prompto's shoulder, but got up willingly, and trotted after Ignis as he went to, Prompto assumed, the kitchen, leaving him, once again, alone in the room with Gladio.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Gladio asked after a second of silence. "He can get kind of rambunctious when he's playing."

"No! I'm fine!" And he was. Noctis hadn't even come close to hurting him. In fact, it had been fun, and he'd laughed so hard his sides had hurt. Even before, it had been a long time since he'd done that.

Despite the reassurance, Gladio seemed a little skeptical. "Okay...don't be afraid to tell him if he hurts you. He'd rather know." Prompto nodded quickly, and then, equally quickly, he scrambled to his feet and sat in one of the chairs to watch the remainder of the courtroom program that was still playing.

They were in the middle of a dispute about a car crash, and who's fault the car crash was, when Ignis returned with sleepy looking Noctis in toe, both of them carrying bowls that smelled of delicious stew. Ignis gave one bowl to Gladio, and Noctis handed one off to Prompto before promptly flopping down in the chair next to him, so close that their sides touched, his head actually resting against Prompto's shoulder. Without waiting a beat he also dug his spoon into the stew, very carefully, Prompto noticed, avoiding any and all vegetables. "Do you really not eat any vegetables?"

"I'm a wolf." Noctis replied blandly. "Wolves are carnivores. Ergo: I don't need vegetables."

From his seat on the couch, Ignis sighed. "Noctis." His tone was that of a man who desperately needed water to survive, and the one person in the room who had water was refusing to share.

"Nope. Carnivore." Yeah. Noctis was definitely not giving Ignis any of his "water."

Ignis sighed again, in a distinctly more frustrated tone this time, but said nothing more.

The stew was delicious, and Prompto didn't understand why Noctis wouldn't want to eat vegetables like this. They were soft, and tasted like broth and the meat fats they were cooked in. Noctis was missing out, and he proved it by eating all of his stew, and all the vegetables in Noctis' stew too. "At least _someone_ appreciates the effort I go to," Ignis commented dryly when Prompto's bowl was completely empty.

"I appreciate your effort. I just don't appreciate your vegetables."

The dishes were set on the coffee table to be taken out to the kitchen later, and Ignis turned the television off. Once the screen was black, Noctis' head left Prompto's shoulder for the first time since he'd sat down. "Is it time?"

Had he missed something? "Time for what?"

"To make you pack. You are going to stay and be pack, right?" Prompto nodded without hesitation. Somehow, throughout the day, that had become the plan, and not just because it was what had been laid out for him. There was something about this pack, just these three men, that screamed "right" in his brain despite how his body still jumped and startled. If they'd have him, he'd stay.

"Before we do that though," Ignis began from his spot on the couch, and the way he leaned forward made Prompto feel a little nervous. It was a very serious position. Was something wrong? "We need to talk."

"About what?" Prompto's voice squeaked out, despite his best efforts to keep it even. Something was definitely wrong.

"About the fact that you're not a submissive," Prompto's eyes flickered over to Gladio, who still reclined in his spot, appearing relaxed, but there was something off about it. He wasn't relaxed at all, and, suddenly, neither was Noctis next to him.

"He's not?"

Ignis shook his head. "You've haven't been around him enough to notice it, Noct. The person or pack that abused him did an excellent job of trying to drill submissive tendencies into his head, but he's not a submissive."

"So...I'm...dominant?" He didn't feel like he was. Dominants were always fighting, always on edge, Ardyn had said. They were always competitive, always wanting to be higher in the pack. Always wanting to be top. That wasn't how Prompto felt at all. He didn't want to fight. He didn't want to be top dog. He just wanted to be, and that wasn't dominant. Not according to Ardyn.

Ignis was shaking his head again, and Prompto wasn't sure whether to be relieved or confused. What was he? A freak? Ignis answered his unspoken question soon enough, though it only raised more questions. "Prompto here, is an omega."

Next to him, Noctis jumped up so quickly, Prompto momentarily thought the chair might have been on fire. "An omega?! Ignis, are you _sure_?!"

"Positive."

"W-what's an omega?" Honestly, it just sounded like a fancy word for submissive, or like, the most submissive submissive in a pack. Like the alpha was the most dominant dominant. Yeah. That totally made sense.

"An omega is just like...woah. It's like woah." Noctis was running his fingers through his hair as though he were trying to come to terms with sitting in the same room as such a wolf. Prompto still didn't even know what an omega was, but he couldn't imagine _him_ ever being that important or special.

Noctis was quietly freaking out. Ignis, on the other hand, was perfectly composed, and shook his head at Noctis, before launching into an explanation himself. "Being an omega is like having the best traits of both a submissive and dominant, and none of the bad. Omegas fall outside of the typical pack hierarchy, and, as such, never feel compelled to follow another wolf's order, but also, as a result, they never come across as a threat to a dominant. I suspected something wasn't right when you met my gaze for a prolonged period of time this morning, as a dominant would, but I also didn't feel any threat from it. I knew for sure when Gladio told me you'd directly refused an order while you were out, but that it hadn't made him angry, only concerned about your wellbeing. You also certainly have the calming effect of a submissive, I've felt it all evening. In fact, omegas are supposed to be like drugs, when they put their minds to it, I've heard tales of them putting entire bickering packs to sleep by exerting their calming pressure."

Ignis stopped, and it took a few moments for Prompto to realize that he was waiting for his reaction. He breathed in, gasping as he realized that he'd stopped breathing at all. "You...think that's me? That all sounds really special."

"It is very special. Omega wolves are very rare. So rare in fact that I've never actually met one before. They are so rare that most wolves think them fairy tales, so rare that entire packs would fight over you, just to have the chance to say they have an omega in their pack."

Impossible. Prompto's brain screamed it, yet, all that came out of his mouth was a hushed whisper. "Are you really sure that's true?"

"I'm so certain, I'd stake my life on it. There is no other explanation, and it wasn't precisely the first conclusion I jumped to. You are an omega wolf, perhaps the only one currently living. Now," Ignis leaned forward even more, his hands clasping tightly together between his knees. "The question you need to answer is this: I've told you that you could literally go to any pack you wanted. Any pack, any size, anywhere. Do you still choose us? _Don't_ feel obligated to say yes. Saying yes out of obligation does no one any good in the end."

The words were heavy, but Prompto hardly had to think about them to know the answer. Was this what he wanted? "Yes." That little voice inside him said it was. This was right. This was good. This was where he needed to be. He couldn't explain it, but he felt, he knew, that it was true. "I want to be a part of this pack."

"Are you absolutely certain?"

"Yes," he repeated.

Almost instantly Prompto felt Noctis' hands glide over his, and when he looked up at the alpha's face, he was nothing but bright smiles. "Hey," he said gently, urging Prompto to his feet. "To bring you into the pack properly, I'm going to have to cut you. Is that okay?" It wasn't. Not really, but then Noctis added. "I have to cut myself too. You won't be alone," and that made it all right, somehow, knowing that he wouldn't be bleeding alone, that someone would share the burden with him, and he nodded.

Out of his pocket came a pocket knife so small Prompto would have never questioned it being there except now he knew that his own flesh was about to be sliced with it. "S-so how does this work?"

"It's...sort of like that blood brother's thing stupid kids back in the day did, mixed with marriage vows. Like, literally." Noctis shrugged, unfolding the knife. "I make the cuts, I tell you all the things I'm going to do for you as your alpha. We mingle our blood together before the wounds close, and the pack bonds should take over."

"What do I do?"

"Sit still and look pretty," came Gladio's voice from the couch, and Prompto glanced over just in time to see Ignis whap him on the arm, accompanied by an extremely unimpressed look.

"He's not...totally wrong," Noctis said with a sheepish smile. "You can make reply vows, what you're going to do for the pack, but all you really need to do is agree to let me take care of you as one of my wolves. Okay?"

"Okay." Prompto placed his hand in Noctis' own outstretched one, and braced himself for the cut.

Even as he placed the blade against his skin, Noctis began to speak. "I, Noctis Lucis-Caelum, vow to protect you, Prompto..."

"Argentum," he said softly, answering the unspoken question, and tears threatened to prick up in his eyes as he realized that this was the first time he'd thought of his own last name in months, maybe even that entire year. He hadn't been Prompto Argentum. He'd been Prompto- Ardyn's pet. Now, he was going to get to be himself again. Noctis would let him be himself. He could feel it.

"Prompto Argentum," Noctis said with a smile. The blade pressed down, and Prompto bit his lip, willing himself to not look at the blood he knew was welling up from the wound. "As a member of my pack. I vow to treat you as though you were my own blood, as though you were my own body. I vow to never ignore your call." Noctis had now turned the blade to his own skin. "I vow to never deny you when you are in need. I promise to look after you, and the other members of my pack before myself. I promise to listen. I promise to care. I promise to love. Should you be lost, I will find you. Should you die, I will avenge you, and then mourn you with all my soul. Should I fall out of favor, my replacement will take up my vows in my stead." Those shockingly blue eyes met his, and Prompto didn't feel the need to look away. "Do you accept my offer, Prompto Argentum?"

"Y-yes, and I, in return, vow to prove my worth, every day, and make sure you know you didn't make a mistake in choosing me."

"I already know that's true. You don't need to prove it." Noctis lifted his hand, and the wound he'd carved into his palm dripped into Prompto's, and then, at Noctis' nod, Prompto did the same to him. The instant his blood hit Noctis' open wound something incorporeal inside him snapped into place, and the entire world seemed to shift. It was like becoming a werewolf all over again. Colors seemed brighter, smells were stronger, touch was magnified, and, on top of all that, an ocean of emotions and thoughts swept over him that were not his own. It was too much. It felt like he was drowning in the ocean, and he couldn't breathe.

"It's okay. I've got you."

"We're right here."

"You're not alone."

Prompto was vaguely aware that he'd gone from standing to being held in someone's arms, and some time after that, he'd been put down on something soft, (a bed, he figured out later,) and that Ignis (he knew it was Ignis) was taking off his shoes. His brain registered that his pack (his pack, just thinking the word caused warmth that was not entirely composed of his own emotions to bubble in his chest.) was talking softly, and he tried to lift his head. He tried to listen, and tried to contribute, but he couldn't even properly take in what he was seeing, let alone follow a conversation.

The weight next to him shifted, and he looked up, and was able to distinguish Noctis from all the other blurred, bright shapes around him. "I know. It's a lot. You'll feel better in the morning. Go to sleep, Prompto."

It was a command, and he felt that Ignis was right. He didn't have to follow it, but he wanted to.

So he did.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't said it yet, but I really want to thank everyone who's been leaving comments and kudos for this story. It really does mean a lot to me, even though I don't reply to most comments. I read them all, and they are a light in my day. Even though I am still several chapters ahead in this story, each comment motivates me to keep writing this story, because you are enjoying it. I would hate to let anyone down.
> 
> Moving on, this story will be told in two parts, the part we're in now, and, in the future, when I finally get to that point, a second part that will carry the story to completion. I had originally thought I'd just make this "second part" a sequel, but the more I plan it out, the more I've realized that it's really a part of this story and should just be included here.
> 
> I hope you're all here for the long haul, because it seems like this is going to be a long story.

When Prompto woke up in the morning, the first thing he was aware of was warmth. He was surrounded by it. It took him a few moments to properly put together where he was, but it didn't frighten him. He was safe. Something fundamental inside him knew it. Safe. Warm. Home. He was in a tangle of limbs, the limbs of his pack. Behind him, though he couldn't see him, was Gladio. He snored lightly as he slept, one tattooed arm slung over his waist. In front of him, was Noctis, who apparently clung to anything within arm's reach like he was dying. Their legs were tangled together, his arms thrown around his chest tightly, his very nose snuggled into his collarbone. Now that he was aware of it, it tickled slightly, and his breathing against his shirt was very distracting.

Ignis wasn't here.

Noctis had been right, he did feel a lot better this morning, the pack bonds that had formed last night had calmed down, and he was able to think inside his own head, instead of trying to feel everyone's at once. Tentatively, he tried to 'reach out' and feel each of his pack's emotions separately, and found them readily accessible.

Gladio was like steel; hard, strong, but able to be melted, molded. Not set permanently. Young? Something in him said yes. Gladio was young, not as young as Prompto, but young. Young, and steady, and loyal. Protector. He was the group's protector. He was the first line of defense, and he took the role very seriously. In fact, he was a very serious person. He knew when to play, but he also knew when to buckle down.

If Gladio was steel, Noctis felt like air, still and moving all at once. Light and heavy. Gentle and comforting one moment, but angry and gale force the next. He liked to be the gentle wind, but Prompto could feel that you never waned to really make him angry. He was both young and old somehow. He wasn't young in years, he definitely had age under his belt, but he didn't want to fully grow up and just be an adult. He liked it like this. He was still their leader. They needed him like they needed to breathe. Definitely their air.

When he reached out to Ignis, he didn't get the fire he'd expected to match his name, instead, he got something as deep, vast, and cold as the ocean. Old. Ignis was older than all of them, and there was something terrifying about it, yet, when he reached down deeper he could feel that at the center of this ocean was a warmth that desperately wanted to bubble to the surface. When he tried to reach that center, something shoved against him, like someone had slammed a window shut on his fingers when he tried to get a look at a pie in the kitchen. It actually kind of hurt.

Against his shoulder, Gladio chuckled sleepily. "Iggy doesn't like it when we try to feel his real emotions. He'll share, if we ask, give freely if he wants, but don't try to take." There was a pause as Gladio breathed in deeply, and then released it. "You okay now?"

"I think so?" He felt much better, much clearer, but there was something different about him now too. He was still figuring it out, but he didn't think it was bad.

"Good. You wanna get up?"

He did, but, "I'm kind of tangled, and I don't think Noctis wants to let me go."

"I'll take care of it." The weight at his waist moved away as Gladio pushed himself up and then reached over him to jostle Noctis' shoulder. "Hey. Prompto's getting up now." Noctis made an unintelligible noise against his skin, and Prompto bit back a giggle as it tickled even more than the breathing did. "No. Noctis. Did you hear me?"

"Dun wanna."

"Yeah. Well. He probably has to pee, so it's not optional. Come on." Gladio jostled Noctis' shoulder again until there was another groan, and Noctis released him with jerky, unhappy movements and slowly rolled over to face the other way. Gladio then jostled Prompto's own shoulder, though more gently. "Get going before he changes his mind."

Prompto suspected this was a serious warning, so he got up quickly and slid off the bed, looking back just in time to see Gladio mostly lay back down himself, propped up on one arm. "Tell Iggy that I'll have him up for breakfast in an hour. Okay?"

" 'Kay."

Prompto slipped from the room as quietly as he could, trying to close the door as quietly as possible too, even though it still made a horrid clicking noise. Gladio had been right; he did need to pee, so he took care of that before he tracked down Ignis in the kitchen. "Good morning?" he said as he poked his head in.

"Good morning," Ignis replied, and Prompto blanched a little. Was it just him, or was Ignis' tone a little chilled? Was he mad?

"I, uh, I'm sorry if I overstepped a boundary. Gladio said you don't like people...digging."

"It's fine," oh, there was some warmth. Maybe he wasn't so mad. Prompto forced himself to relax a little as he slipped into the room. He could handle this. "I expected you to try a little. You've never actually been a part of a pack before, have you?" Prompto shook his head. "A little curiosity is natural. You know better now. I'm just...a bit more private, if you will."

"I understand."

"No harm done," Ignis gave him a smile, and Prompto smiled back, feeling relieved. "How do you feel this morning?"

Were they all going to ask? "Better? I...feel different. More..." Prompto searched for the word inside his head that fit what he was feeling, and it was hard, and the word that he came up with didn't truly fit, but, "Whole." It was starting to fit together now. The little pieces. He didn't feel so broken anymore, like Ardyn had irreparably shattered him. It was as though he was glued back together now, and it was good, but not perfect.

"Well, wolves do need pack to remain mentally healthy. I'm sure that's part of it, especially since you've never had pack before. It's a new experience, but healthy for a wolf."

"Wolves need pack? Like need-need?"

Ignis nodded, bringing a mug of something that smelled like coffee, but also didn't smell like coffee to his lips for a moment to drink before he continued. "Yes. We won't die alone, but we do very much have a hierarchy need we need satisfied. Dominants need things to protect, to take care of, and submissives need to be taken care of. I suspect you have need to do a little of both, being an omega. Don't quote me on it though. We'll see how things unfold."

"What happens if you don't? Have pack, I mean?"

"I don't know personally, I've never been without, but I've seen it. They go crazy, to put it plainly. Some lone wolves manage to construct a makeshift pack of humans. It's not the real thing, but it does them well enough to survive sanely. Mostly though, they lose their minds after a time and start attacking people. It's very bad business. We just need to not be alone, even when we're alone." He chuckled, "We take 'no man is an island' to a whole other level."

Prompto stared at Ignis' shoes, but he wasn't really taking them in. Ardyn. Unless he'd had a pack stashed away somewhere else, he'd been a lone wolf. Did that explain why he'd been the way he was? "Maybe." Prompto's eyes jumped up to Ignis', and realized the man had moved much closer without his realizing it. "But it doesn't excuse what he did to you."

Wait. "Sorry, did I say all that aloud?"

"No, but I could feel it, and guessed what you were thinking. You don't have any mental defenses yet. You're wide open, and we feel everything."

They could? Prompto felt his face getting very red. Oh no. No, no, that was terrible. "It's all right. You'll learn. I'm sure it won't even take you very long." Ignis paused to take another draft from the coffee(?) mug. "At any rate, don't worry about him too much. Regis is having Cor and a few others look into him, and take care of it. He won't harm you, or anyone else, again."

"That's good, I guess." It was time to change the subject. Definitely time to change the subject. "Um. Oh! Gladio said he'll have Noctis up for breakfast in an hour...I guess less than an hour now."

"More like an hour and a half, now," Ignis said with a sigh, drinking from, and this time draining, the mug. "Why don't you go take a shower while you wait? I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of bringing all your things up from the car to your room this morning, so finding a change of clothing won't be an issue."

"I have a room?"

"Yes, of course you do. Two doors down from Noct's, on the right. Did you think you wouldn't?"

Prompto shrugged, it wasn't that he hadn't thought he would, but more that he hadn't even thought that far ahead. "Noctis does have a pretty big bed?" He tried to joke, smiling awkwardly, and he was rewarded with another one of Ignis' smiles.

"If it were up to Noct we would all sleep in that bed all the time, and we'd never get anything done. I won't deny that, but we do have our own rooms and our own beds. Don't let Noctis fool you into thinking your bed is just for show."

"Noctis does like to sleep, doesn't he?"

"His mother was like that too," Ignis admitted softly. "I think it's the magic. Magic and werewolves doesn't mix well, and I think it makes him tired." Ignis paused for a moment, "One thing, before you go shower-"

"Yeah?"

"I'm making crepes for breakfast. Gladio likes them with peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Noctis refuses to eat them with anything other than Nutella. How do you like them?"

It was a hard question to answer, if only because he'd never had them before at all, but Ignis was patient with his answer, even as Prompto shifted from foot to foot thinking about it. "Uh...Strawberries? Blueberries? Something fresh?"

"I have strawberries and bananas."

"Sounds amazing."

Ignis chuckled. "I knew there was something about you I liked."

"What? It's not my sparkling personality?" He grinned, and, unexpectedly, his chest filled with a warmth that wasn't his own. An instant later he realized it was the warmth within Ignis he'd been trying to reach when Ignis had shut him out earlier. Ignis' warmth. It was wonderful, even more so that he knew he'd shared it willingly.

"On the contrary, Prompto, I think that's precisely what it is."

Unable to deal with the reality of that answer, Prompto ducked out of the kitchen, and went back to the bathroom to shower.

The shower was glorious. Even the shower of a run down motel room would have been glorious but this was a rich person's shower, and it had separate controls for hot and cold, different settings for water control, space enough for at least three, if not all four, of them if they wanted, and there were about ten different soaps and shampoos to choose from. Amazing, and it felt so good to have the water bombard his skin, smoothing out aches he hadn't realized he had, and to watch the dirt and grime from still having been with Ardyn run down the drain. It wasn't just cleansing on a skin level, but on a soul level, and when he was finished drying himself off, he felt new and raw.

He brushed his teeth too, and the minty-ness felt cleansing and cold at the same time. It was stupid how simple it was, but it had been so long since he'd probably cleaned that even little things felt new again. Maybe he should try to trim his nails too. Later.

As promised, he found all the things he'd bought the day before in the room two doors down and on the right of Noctis' room. It wasn't as big as Noctis' room, but it was certainly bigger than any personal space he'd had before. It was white, and bright, though dimmed by curtains over the windows. It was basic, with a bed, dresser, bedside table, mirror, desk, chair, and closet, but that was plenty for Prompto. He still needed some stuff, he'd forgotten to by a brush or comb the day before, at the very least. But the clothes fit him fine, and when he looked in the mirror that hung from the back of the closet door, he nodded. It wasn't great, he never really looked great, but he didn't look terrible either. It would do.

He took the phone card, and the packaged phone back out to the kitchen, and, tentatively, sat at the table. When Ignis didn't comment on it, Prompto began to open the packaging to get at the things inside. He'd gotten everything out, and was installing the battery into the phone when he smelled that stuff again. The drink that both smelled like coffee, and didn't. "What _is_ that?"

"What is what?"

"That stuff you're drinking."

"Ah. It's called Ebony." Prompto knew about Ebony, from before. He'd never had it, but it was carried in a lot of grocers, like Monster was. In fact, that was basically, as far as he'd ever been able to tell, what it was; an energy drink mixed with coffee.

"I didn't think a werewolf could be addicted to caffeine." If a werewolf couldn't get drunk, you'd think they'd be immune to caffeine too.

His logic turned out to be right. "We can't. I, ah," Ignis' voice turned suddenly shy, and when Prompto looked up, there was the faintest of blushes on his cheeks. "I confess to having a strong fondness for the flavor."

"So you heat it up and drink it like coffee?"

"Just so. When I have the time. I'll drink it straight from the can when not." He paused before adding. "Would you like real coffee? I'd be happy to make you some."

"I'm good, I'm actually just really looking forward to trying your crepes."

His honesty was rewarded with another smile before Ignis softly said, "I'll just have to hurry up then, now won't I?"

Soon, the kitchen smelled like bacon cooking, and Prompto had to stop himself from literally drooling on the tabletop. He was hungry, more hungry than he'd realized. He hoped Noctis and Gladio got up soon, because he suspected that Ignis would not feed them until they were all together at the table. His prayers were answered not too long after Ignis had thrown Gladio's peppers, onions, and mushrooms into a separate pan, when he felt a dense sensation in his chest and a moody-sulkiness in the back of his brain. "Is that what it feels like when Noctis wakes up?"

He didn't need to elaborate on what he meant, Ignis just nodded, and dully said, "Every time."

Bacon was sat on the table the moment Prompto was able to hear approaching footsteps, and Ignis warned, "Let Noctis have the first piece. It's free for all after that, but the first piece is his." Prompto nodded quickly. That was probably an alpha thing. Getting the first slice. As alpha it was his right to have it? Or was it a protection thing? Making sure nothing was wrong with it? Maybe it was both. Did it matter? Probably not.

Noctis ambled into the kitchen area, rubbing his eyes, and, without hesitation, took a piece of bacon and bit into it. Subtly, from his place at the stove, Ignis nodded, and Prompto followed suit. It was crisp and fatty, and something he tried to avoid before. It was delicious. "Good morning, Noctis," he said between his teeth, trying not to be rude.

"Noct," his alpha corrected, his voice still thick with sleep. "You can call me Noct. And morning. I guess It _is_ morning." Noct slumped down into the chair next to him with a sigh as he shoved the rest of the piece of bacon into his mouth. "It's perfect, Specs."

"Thank you, Noct. Breakfast will be served in about ten minutes."

" 'Kay." Noctis swallowed and took another piece, his eyes drifting toward the doorway, and Prompto let his eyes follow. Gladio lingered there, looking uncomfortable. "Something wrong?"

"You, uh, look different."

It took him a beat to realize that Gladio wasn't addressing Noctis, but him. "Um, thanks? I took a shower."

"It shows. Your hair is brighter. And your freckles..." His voice drifted off, and Prompto put his hands over his cheeks, feeling more conscious of his damned freckles than he had since he was a teenager. Of course they stuck out against his freshly scrubbed skin in a way they hadn't before. They probably looked terrible. No one liked freckles. Hundreds of tiny blemishes on his skin ruining his complexion. He'd just gotten used to that being the way it was and that there was nothing he could do about it.

"No!" Gladio said quickly, arms crossed defensively over his chest. "I like them. They look good on you. I just didn't realize there were so many."

How had he guessed? Ah. Right. No mental walls yet. Thoroughly horrified now, Prompto slid down his chair as though this could hide him from them. "Thanksssss."

"Don't be upset," Noct said, lightly tapping his shoulder with the back of his hand. "Gladio's just an idiot about what he likes." There was a touch, just a touch, of something old, bitter, and acrid there. An old argument, Prompto suspected, that had never been fully resolved, but was never really spoken about.

"Noctis," Ignis chided softly, at the same time that Gladio's face twisted into an offended frown.

"Hey!"

"You're welcome," Noctis rolled his eyes like a teenager, his tone very much matching it. Prompto was pretty sure the last time he'd heard that tone it had been coming from a cheerleader's mouth his junior year f high school. "Come sit. Eat bacon."

"Not all of it," Prompto said from his position halfway to the floor, eyes still trying to figure out where to rest. "Ignis hasn't had any."

"Not all of it," Noctis agreed, even as he took yet another slice. "Hey, is that your new phone?"

"Yeah," Prompto forced himself to straighten up in his seat and pick up the smartphone. "I'm not done setting it up, but it shouldn't take me too much longer."

"Think you can play games on that?"

"Yeah, sure, why?"

As background music to his question, Gladio groaned, and Ignis muttered, "Here we go." Both of which bellied the innocence of the actual answer he got from Noct.

"King's Knight! It's the best game ever to come out on a mobile. You gotta download it and add me. And Specs. And Gladio."

Prompto had never heard of this game, a part of him wondered if it wasn't new. The other part of him knew it probably wasn't. Before he'd been working two jobs and hadn't had a lot of time for playing games. Time playing games could be spent catching up on sleep. Sleep had been way more important than games. "Is it fun?"

"It's the best!"

Prompto looked over at Gladio for confirmation, who shrugged. "It's fun not solo. Solo play isn't so great, but playing together is a bit addicting. I'll give it that. "

"Cool. I'll make sure to download it."

"Yes! This is gonna be the best! You gotta do it now. Or. You know. As soon as your phone's good to go."

"Which won't be until after breakfast. Put that away and eat." Ignis' voice was slightly irked as he set plates down in front of all three of them, and Prompto bowed his head softly thanking Ignis for the food when his was given to him. "You can thank me by eating," was the softer reply, and Ignis' fingers ruffled his hair gently as he passed.

Eating Ignis' food was in no way a chore. Prompto had never had crepes before, but he knew after just one bite that these were the best crepes anyone could find anywhere. By the way the other two were quiet as they ate too, Prompto was sure they agreed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Again, thanks for the continued comments and kudos. This might not be the most popular fic out there, but it makes me really happy to know even some people are reading every chapter and enjoying it. o u o
> 
> It has also occurred to me that I haven't linked to my Tumblr on this story, so... [Here it is!](https://charmkeeperix.tumblr.com/) Not that my Tumblr is very exciting or anything, but you can come say hi, or ask questions, or just...look at the things I reblog.
> 
> Thanks again! Enjoy the chapter!

The next week went by like a blur. It was a little awkward for the first couple of days, figuring out how everything worked, getting used to feeling emotions and thinking thoughts that were not strictly his own. Instead of dwelling on that too deeply, Prompto spent his time trying to fit himself into the life of his new packmates, and work himself around their schedules.

Noctis was easy. Any time he thought he could get away with it was nap time, and he'd drag anyone who didn't snarl at him off to bed with him, or even just fall asleep in their laps on the couch. Ignis was usually "busy" and Gladio was often "gone," and that meant Prompto quickly became Noct's favorite nap time partner. It was actually nice, not having to worry about needing to do anything or be anywhere, and being able to just be dragged off into Noct's room to sleep, but disentangling himself from his alpha's clingy form was no easier the fourth time than it had been the first. More than once, he found Noct's grip too strong for him to break out of, and he had to call for Ignis to help him. He helped him willingly, but he hated having to ask.

When not asleep, and not eating, Noct seemed to feel that his primary duty as alpha was to make sure no one worked too hard. Video games seemed to be his primary way of doing that. King's Knight (which was totally very addicting, Prompto couldn't even lie) was Noctis' go to, probably because they could play it whenever, wherever they were, even if they weren't all in the same room at the time. Despite their groaning when he'd first brought it up, both Gladio and Ignis seemed to enjoy the game, though perhaps not as much as Noct. Prompto wasn't sure anyone could enjoy it as much as he did.

Other activities included console games, which Ignis did not play at all, and Gladio only played on occasion, so, here too, Prompto was his favorite target, not that Prompto was complaining at all. As a child, when consoles had just been coming out, he hadn't been able to play them, for the simple reason that he didn't have any of the console systems, and, as a teenager, he'd been too preoccupied with losing weight to even ask for a console, let alone play it. There was something nostalgic about playing the latest PVP game Noctis had acquired, even though he'd never actually played games himself when he was younger. There was even something nice about sitting back on the couch and watching Noctis play one player games, which happened on occasions when he'd been helping Ignis do things when Noct had gotten up.

TV and movies were also among his favorite activities to force upon the pack to make them relax. This was usually in the evening, during dinner, or after. He demanded everyone stop and watch this show, or that movie, and maybe only because they had no real choice in the matter, it worked. Both Gladio and Ignis usually had books out for reading before even fifteen minutes passed. Noctis never seemed to mind, as long as they were relaxing.

Prompto had found that loved Noct's laugh. The first time he'd seen it full force, shoulders shaking and hand raised up over his mouth, he couldn't help but think that he looked, not like an alpha werewolf, but a nerdy college student, and it wasn't an insult. There was something comforting about it. The cliches that played over and over in his head from monster movies simply weren't true in Noctis.

Honestly, those cliches weren't really true in Ignis either, though Ignis did seem to stick more to the werewolf hierarchy and order than Noct did, and it made finding his niche with the man a little harder. Prompto wasn't sure if Ignis really loved cooking or if he did it out of obligation, but either way, it seemed like Ignis was always cooking. Or cleaning. Or looking up important things on his laptop. It was a lot of work. It wasn't even the work that Prompto would have expected werewolves to do. Even when he imagined the most "relaxed" werewolves, he imagined them eating take out and out of ravioli cans, not eating hand prepared meals made by their pack's second in command. He imagined they lived in mess, not habitually clicked their tongue in soft annoyance when they saw that Noct had forgotten to take his plates out to the the kitchen. Again.

Noctis took care of them by making sure they had fun and didn't work too hard. Ignis took care of them like a mother did, making sure they were fed, clean, and healthy. Prompto didn't have any real experience with that sort of mothering. His mother's brand of mothering was to make sure there were frozen meals in the freezer and cash on the counter in case of emergency. It had been okay, (he'd had a roof over his head, food in his stomach, and clothes on his back) but it made him unsure of how to wheedle his way into helping him, until he remembered a word most children used a lot; chores. Most children did chores, right? Maybe Ignis would let him do chores.

He'd started out small, asking if Ignis needed any help, and then pouting at him when he was told no. Ignis, or Iggy, as he was starting to call him via Gladio's nickname, was _weak_ for pouting packmates. It was actually kind of adorable, the way his face got red whenever one of them pulled it. "Fine, fine. The dishwasher needs emptying. You could do that." It wasn't chopping onions or anything, but it had been a start, and when he'd finished clearing the dishwasher, he lingered around and actually washed the remaining dishes that had been stacked in a neat pile by the sink. Doing so had earned him that warmth again, and though his hands had felt pruney for over an hour afterward, it had been well worth it.

Chores were good, but preemptive striking was even better. The living room tended to get messy quickly when Noctis wasn't asleep, and though the job of straightening usually fell to Ignis, Prompto started doing it on his own when he wasn't sitting with a controller in his hand. The look of surprise on Ignis' face when he came in the room each time was priceless.

Laundry appeared to be a once a week thing, as well as an all day sort of thing. Ignis started in the morning and finished by dinnertime, washing, drying, folding, and even mending in between other tasks. Prompto couldn't mend and he suspected that if he messed with Ignis' particular blend of water and soaps he'd be murdered by lunch, but Ignis didn't wave him off when he tried to fold and put away the dried clothes, so long as he kept his hands off Ignis' own clothes, which were sparse, perhaps because most of them needed to be dry cleaned.

Here too, Prompto had felt a wave of nostalgia for something he'd never experienced. Oh sure, he'd done laundry before, both in his childhood home and at the giant laundromat down the street from his apartment, but sitting at a table in a room full of sunshine, chatting away with a man he'd not known a month, but felt closer to than anyone he'd known before triggered something inside him. Before he'd known it was happening, he'd sat the shirt he'd been folding on the table, and Ignis had gotten up, his hand rubbing small circles into his back. "It's all right, Prompto. I promise." It had taken five minutes for the feeling to fade, though he wasn't sure precisely what it had been. Missing. Maybe, yet how could he miss something he'd never had?

Fitting in with Noct had been easy. Ignis was harder, but he'd managed. Gladio... Gladio was impossible. It wasn't to say that Gladio was mean to him, or drove him away, it was simply that Gladio was simply not there. He left almost immediately after breakfast most mornings and didn't return until dinnertime. It made it impossible to worm his way into his daily life the way he had with Ignis and Noctis, in fact, even at home, it felt like Gladio was sort of avoiding him. They didn't talk much, or sit next to each other. Gladio made it seem natural, but, sitting all the way across the room on the couch with Noctis made it feel awkward to Prompto. He wanted to be close to all of his packmates.

"Do you think he hates me?"

"Who?"

"Gladio."

Noct didn't laugh, or simply brush him off. Instead, his alpha paused the game and turned around so that his and Prompto's knees were lightly touching. "Look. I'd know if Gladio hated you. He doesn't hate you."

"But he doesn't talk to me, he hasn't even touched me since that first night." Before this wouldn't have been a complaint. Touching was _weird_. Men didn't touch each other, but werewolves did. It came naturally to them. They were mentally and emotionally connected at all times, and it carried over into physicality too. You touched a lot, it was natural. It was weird if you didn't. Touching was comfort and calm, it helped maintain balance within the pack, or so Ignis said. "Did I do something wrong?"

"I think it's impossible for you to do something wrong." Noct said affectionately, but followed it up with a great heaving sigh. "Specs...told me what he said, that time when you first got here. "Prompto felt his face heat up a bit. "The mate thing?" Noctis nodded. "I haven't given him an answer yet. Do you think that's it?" He wasn't sure. He wasn't sure he'd ever be sure. They hadn't talked about it. They hadn't even mentioned it. Yeah. This made sense. He was mad about that. For sure. Definitely.

"I think it might be that in that he's being stupid about it. Not in that he hates you for it." Noctis huffed, "Do you want me to talk to him?" Prompto shook his head no so quickly it actually made him feel a little dizzy. He had to make it clear that it was definitely a no. If he gave permission, Noct would definitely talk to him. It would be embarrassing, his alpha, his new friend, talking to Gladio about...that. "Okay, I won't, but that means you gotta do it." Noctis turned back to the game, his eyes rolling up to the ceiling. "But I mean, _really_ , who tells someone they're gonna be their mate the first time they meet?"

As it turned out, Prompto would find out later that day, that Noctis said things like that to people he just met. Or at least, he had when he'd been a child.

They'd still been playing a game when Noct's phone rang. It wasn't Gladio, Noctis had his ringtone set as that almost forgotten song from his childhood where men were screaming " _Who Let the Dogs Out_." It wasn't Ignis either, whose ringtone was dogs dramatically barking out a rather botched rendition of Beethoven's...Fifth, (Prompto was pretty sure it was his fifth.) This ringtone was the sound of wind chimes, soft and pretty, though, by how quickly Noctis made to pick it up, you would have thought it had been an air-horn in a movie theater. His controller even fell to the floor, which was normally a veritable crime.

"Hey!" Noctis said into the phone, managing to sound both excited and terrified at the same time.

" _Hello yourself, Noctis._ " Even with his wolf ears, Prompto could barely make out the soft, feminine voice on the other end.

"What's up?" He managed to spit these words out a little more calmly, though the panicked edge remained, and Prompto was pretty sure he could see slight shaking. Who was this girl?

On the other end, that soft feminine voice laughed gently, and responded, " _The sky, of course._ " She chuckled a little at her own joke, and continued. " _I have the day off. I was thinking me and the dogs would come over for a couple of hours._ "

"Sounds great!" Noct had reigned himself in enough that he sounded genuinely pleased by this, but it was all lie, if the blossom of sheer, overwhelming panic that rose in his chest was anything to go by.

A second later, Prompto's own phone was going off. He didn't have fun ringtones assigned to each of his pack yet, but to his surprise, the screen glowed brightly with Gladio's name, and it answered it, placing it gently to his ear. "Hi?"

" _I know you're next to Noct. Is it Luna? I bet it's Luna._ "

"Uh...it's a girl?"

On the other end, Gladio snorted. " _Does she have an accent like Iggy?_ "

Now that he mentioned it... "Yeah. She does."

" _It's Luna._ " He sighed. " _Is she coming over?_ "

Prompto took the phone away from his ear for a second to listen to the conversation still going on next to him. "It sounds like it." In fact, it sounded like she'd be heading over soon.

" _'Kay. Tell Noct I'll be home in about an hour._ " Before anything else could be said, there was a click as Gladio hung up the phone, and Prompto sighed a little sadly as he turned it off and stuck it back in his pocket. Not even a good bye. Yeah. Gladio definitely hated him. Or was mad. Or something. Noct was right, he had to talk to him, but talking had never been his strong point, especially not about his own feelings to other people.

He settled in to wait for Noctis to get off the phone, which only took about a minute while he and the girl, who was apparently named Luna, said their goodbyes, and Noct hung up. "Hey, Specs?!" Noctis called into the rest of the wing, using the tone of a child who was calling their mother at midnight for a glass of water. Ignis appeared in the doorway about three seconds later, and Noctis bit his lip nervously, his hands wringing together in his lap. "Luna's coming over. Today. Like now."

"Is she already on her way? Or just leaving now?"

"Just leaving, I think?" The hand wringing intensified.

"All right, that will give me time to get her favorite tarts baking. I'll start now."

Prompto saw an opportunity here, and he took it without hesitation. "Do you need any help, Iggy?"

Prompto watched as Ignis opened his mouth to say no, but then closed it, and to Prompto's pleasant surprise said, "Actually, I could use a hand with the prep work, if you don't mind assisting me."

Victory! Prompto grinned. "Great. I'll be out in a minute, okay?" Ignis nodded, and disappeared from the doorway, his shoes tip-tapping on his way back to the kitchen. Once the sound was out of earshot, he turned his attention to Noct. "Gladio called, he says he'll be home in an hour."

"Okay," Noctis nodded absently, and Prompto frowned.

"Hey, you okay?" Without thinking, Prompto reached out and placed his hand against Noct's shoulder. He'd wanted the contact to be comforting, but he had not expected the way Noctis gave a slight gasp of surprise, before completely melting into the touch. It was gratifying, and it made him feel like he was somehow helping. Helping was good. It was what he wanted to do.

"Yeah. I'm okay. Just. I love Luna, but she's got expectations. I don't think she'd be mad if this place was a mess, but I hate feeling like I'm disappointing her."

Prompto was caught between feeling like he understood and didn't understand. "But you're okay?"

Noctis nodded. "I'm okay. Go catch up with Ignis. I'm going to try to tidy up."

Prompto couldn't help but think that if Noct was going to try and tidy up it was really serious, and he hastened to join Ignis in the kitchen, where he had him doing menial, but probably important tasks like crumbling very cold butter and flour together with his fingers. "So..." He managed to get out after about five minutes. "Who's Luna?"

Ignis chuckled, and when he looked, Prompto saw a devious smirk spreading across his face.  A new, and terrifying look for Iggy. "Lady Lunafreya is Noct's future mate."

Shock jolted through him like a lightning strike. "W-what?!"

Ignis laughed, and Prompto felt a sprinkle of joy as devious at the smirk on Ignis' face dance in his chest that both calmed him and worried him, coming from Ignis. "I jest. If Noct were here, he'd be yelling at me to stop calling her that, but I cannot resist." His lips pressed together in that smirk again as he returned to chopping cherries.

"There has got to be a story behind this."

"There is," Ignis quipped. "I looked after Noctis when he was young, practically since he was born, if we're being honest. I was good at it, for the most part, kept up with his antics fairly well. He was an energetic child, nothing like the lethargic man he is now. One day, he disappeared for ten hours. I was full-on panicking after just two hours. I looked everywhere, but he was gone. He was so far gone that I couldn't even feel him in our pack bonds. I was about two seconds from breaking down and admitting I'd lost him to his father, my alpha at the time, when he suddenly popped back into existence, holding the hand of a taller, blonde girl.

"Said blonde girl was Lady Lunafreya, and I knew instantly that she was a fae, perhaps a young fae, but all fae are fae and cannot be trusted. I urged Noctis to let her go and leave her to return to her domain, but Noctis insisted that they were friends, that she'd helped him get home, and, lastly, that they had promised to marry each other one day."

Prompto chuckled as Ignis paused in his storytelling. "Thus the 'future mate' joke."

"Indeed," Ignis said with a smile. "Despite their differences, Lady Lunafreya and Noctis have been very close friends since that day, but as they grew up, it became clear that they would never actually mate or marry."

"Why's that?"

"Well, simply put, Noct isn't sexual at all, and Lady Lunafreya has, to date, had five girlfriends, one wife, and no boyfriends or husbands. Neither one of them could ever satisfy the other in a relationship of that sort. They remain close though, they used to write letters weekly, and now write emails almost daily. Noctis has never had many friends outside the pack, and despite my teasing, I am very appreciative of her and what she does for Noct."

"So...why the panic over her coming over?"

"Impressions are important to fae, even one as lenient and human seeming as Lady Lunafreya. She will expect a food offering, and she will expect a reasonably clean environment. Normally, we might have a day or so to prepare for a visit, but today she must have had some sort of cancellation in her schedule. She probably would have chosen to spend it some other way, but I suspect Noctis has told her about you, and, as a result, she's eager to meet you."

"Me?"

Ignis nodded. "Yes. You. Change is so rare for werewolves and fae that anything new is exciting. Especially when that something new is an omega."

"Is...she nice?"

"Oh, very," Ignis said comfortingly. "You don't have to watch your words or guard your name like you do with other fae, and she's kind and open. The very opposite of her brother, unfortunately. I pray that you do not meet Ravus any time in the near future." Prompto noticed that there was no "Lord" in front of Ravus' name. "The only thing Ravus has a soft spot for is his sister."

"Luna good, Ravus bad. Got it."

Ignis chuckled. "Quite so. Now, let me see how that pastry is coming along."

By the time Prompto heard Gladio's motorcycle pulling up the tarts were in the oven, and Noctis had, to Prompto's surprise, managed to clean up both the living room and his own bedroom. "Luna doesn't go in there," Noctis had admitted only ten minutes beforehand, "But she'll know." Ignis had gone back to sort of fluttering about, making sure nothing was out of place, and Prompto had gone back to sitting on the couch to play games while they waited.

When the motor stopped running, Noct pushed lightly at Prompto's shoulder. "Go talk to him. Luna's gonna be here soon, so make it quick, but go."

Prompto didn't argue, instead he put the controller down and made his way out of the west wing. It was his first time leaving the wing his pack called their own by himself, and several wolves he knew belonged to Regis' pack were walking through the foyer, including Officer Leonis...Cor. The instant he was in sight, Cor changed gears and hopped on up the stairs to greet him. "Did you need something, Prompto?"

Prompto quickly shook his head. He wasn't afraid anymore, not of Cor, but that didn't mean he wanted to waste the man's time. "N-no! I'm good. I'm just going to talk to Gladio."

Cor nodded, slowly, thoughtfully. "Are you adjusting to your new pack well?"

"I...think so? They're good to me." That was all that really mattered, wasn't it? They were good to him. He didn't know pain from their hands, and they did their best to accommodate him. It helped that he really liked them. It was just that no matter what they said, he knew he wasn't good enough.

Despite his internal misgivings, his words brought out a smile on Cor's face, it was small, as though he weren't used to doing it, but warm. "That's good. I did tell you they were good wolves."

"You did."

Cor's smile remained, even as he stepped aside to let Prompto pass. "Get going then, but, if you need anything your pack can't provide, don't hesitate to come find me."

"Got it. Uh. See you later?"

"Of course."

Cor bowed his head politely as Prompto skittered past him to get to the doors, where he found Gladio just about to open them. The taller man's eyebrows raised at the sight of him, his mouth hanging open for just a second before he got out, "Hey, what's up?"

"Hey! C-can we talk? Just for a minute?"

Prompto lightly worried his lip for a moment, trying to get out precisely what he wanted to say. He hated being too blunt. When he'd been human saying things too bluntly had gotten him in trouble. Not so much as a kid, he hadn't done a lot of talking at all when he'd been young, but as an adult. Out of nowhere he was hit with the memory of a customer pouring almost scalding coffee on him, and then him getting fired all in the same day because he'd "had the gall" to say she'd done it on purpose. He felt the multitude of feelings bubble up inside him from the memory but shoved them back down. Now wasn't the time to think on the past.

When you were human blunt truth got you in trouble, but Prompto was starting to figure out that werewolves appreciated it. Prompto hadn't figured out how to do it yet, but Ignis, Noctis, and probably Gladio too had what he was mentally calling "BS detectors." They knew when you were telling the truth and when you were telling a lie. If they asked if you were okay, you had better not say yes when the answer was no. He hoped that someday he figured out how to do that too, if mostly to figure out when Ignis really did need help in the kitchen or Noctis was actually tired when he was saying he wasn't.

His human life had told him to speak gently and lie when convenient. He wasn't human anymore, and he wasn't dealing with humans. Honesty really was the best policy. He hoped. "Do you hate me?" Inwardly, Prompto cringed the moment the words were out of his mouth, but he couldn't take them back now.

In his chest, he felt a panic that was completely not his own, and when he looked up at Gladio's face he saw that panic reflected there. "No! I- No! Why would you even think that?"

"We...don't talk. You don't touch me. Iggy and Noct touch me, but not you. And...you're always gone. Is it because of me? Are you mad?"

The panic he felt melted down into something soft and sad, and Prompto turned his eyes toward the ground know that it was him that was causing Gladio to feel this way. "I didn't want to be overbearing to you. I know what I said to you is a lot for any wolf to take, let alone you. I shouldn't have said it. Iggy chewed me out for it. I know I deserved it, don't worry. I didn't want to try and force you to feel something for me, and," Prompto startled a little when Gladio's large hands brushed against his face with a gentleness you wouldn't think possible in a man of his size. "I was kinda hoping you'd touch me first? But if this is okay..."

Prompto brought his hand up to cover Gladio's against his face, and the warmth radiating off his hand sunk deep into his cheek. Ignis said all werewolves were exceptionally warm, (it was caused by the metabolism) but even compared to Ignis and Noctis, Gladio was warm. It felt good and right to have his hand against his skin. "This is more than okay." A month ago, he couldn't have imagined saying the words. A month ago he'd been chained to a wall, dreading the next time that door would open. Now... "I like this. I feel complete."

Gladio took in a sharp breath that Prompto wasn't quite able to identify the emotion behind. "Sorry. I'm...sorry I denied you something you needed."

"It wasn't on purpose." Or maybe it was, but he didn't think that was the case. He didn't think Gladio was cruel. Far from it, actually.

"Even on accident. You deserve the world."

Prompto felt the blush creeping up into his cheeks. He wouldn't go that far, but it was somehow nice, to know that someone thought he deserved things he wanted, to say that they felt that way.

They stood like that for a minute, only to be interrupted by the sound of a car pulling into the drive way. Prompto was starting to recognize the sounds of the different cars that came and went from the mansion, and this wasn't any of them. "Is that...?"

"Yeah," Gladio said, letting his hand pull away from Prompto's face, only to drift down to his shoulder and clap it firmly, "Buckle up, Luna's here."


	7. Chapter 7

As soon as the engine cut off, a car door was opened, and within seconds a pair large dogs came running at full speed around the corner of the house. One was black with gray accents, and the other was as white as freshly fallen snow. They were pretty, even at a distance, but even so, the only thing that kept Prompto from backing up in fear was Gladio's hand still resting firmly on his shoulder.

The two dogs came to an abrupt stop in front of them, the white one bowed playfully when its head on its paws, tail wagging, and the other standing straight, giving Prompto its full attention. Prompto was very aware of those eyes, keenly intelligent, and he gave a small squeak. The squeak seemed to break the tension between him and the two dogs, for as soon he realized he'd done it, the dogs were upon him. It wasn't with teeth or claws, but with tails wagging, tongues licking at his hands, paws up firmly on his chest.

_He's new.        Friend?              Friend.           Noctis?                                 Belongs.                           Definitely Friend.      Pet!           Love us!               New.           Yes. Yes!           Friend!           He smells like Noctis.             Belongs to Noctis.                          Pet?      Pet us!_

At this point the sound of whining dogs reached his ears, and Prompto realized he was frozen still, not from fear, but from...shock? "Were they talking?" What had been going on didn't quite seem like talking, but he definitely knew that the dogs were conversing with one another. How did one say things without talking? It made no sense, and he looked to Gladio for an answer, only to find his packmate making the most unhelpful hand motion he'd ever seen.

"Yes-No?" Gladio said with a chuckle. "They don't really talk, just let you understand."

"They let you?" Gladio shrugged as the white dog pressed its head up into Prompto's hand with a whine, and he looked down at the dog's adorable face, looking up at him with the most hopeful eyes. How could he ever deny that face? The dogs let out another whine, this time a happier one, as he let his finger sink into the soft fur and rub. After about ten seconds, Prompto was truly unsure of who was enjoying this more; him or the dogs.

"Pryna! Umbra! Down!" Instantly, paws were taken away from his chest and legs and placed firmly on the sidewalk in obedience. The white dog (Pryna? The black and gray dog seemed much more of an Umbra,) even went so far as to sink down onto their belly and drag itself along, whining at the woman who could only be Lunafreya.

Prompto vaguely remembered that when he'd met Noctis he hadn't thought there was anyone who looked less like an alpha wolf than him. As though she had to be his opposite, if someone had asked Prompto to describe what a fae looked like, he would have described Lunafreya perfectly. She was petite in frame, with thin arms and legs, and she had a pretty face accompanied by, neatly pinned, pale blonde hair and equally pale eyes. She dressed in white and light gray, offset only by perfectly tailored jeans. The look would have been complete if she'd possessed dainty looking wings, but alas, she appeared to have no wings at all. A shame. Prompto couldn't blame Noctis at all for proclaiming he'd marry her someday when they'd been children. If he'd known her as a child, he would have wanted to proclaim the same.

When he first laid eyes on her Lunafreya was scowling at her(?) dogs, but it melted away into the warmest and most genuine smile he'd ever seen the moment she looked up and their eyes met. "Are you Prompto?" Absently, he nodded, and her smile grew impossibly brighter. "Noct has told me so much about you!" A laugh as true and strong as a gust of wind escaped her lips when she saw his face, "Don't worry, only good things. He told me you're really good for the pack, and that's the best news I've gotten in months."

They were only a few steps away from each other now, and Prompto watched all the details in her fine face shift and change as her smile dimmed into something he'd call shy. Her arms parted into what he recognized from high school as the way girls tended to ask other girls for hugs. "Will you give me a hug?" There was something about the way she said it that made Prompto pause. She didn't say "can I have". She said "will you give". Was that dangerous? The way fae worded things mattered, right? He remembered that from old fairytales, and even Iggy had sort of suggested you needed to be careful.

He looked to Gladio, who nodded, and Prompto breathed out. Okay. He could do this. Tentatively, he stepped into her space and leaned into her. She was a little shorter than he was, yet it felt like she was a tall as Gladio, just in this one, awkward, hug. It wasn't awkward on her end. Her arms wrapped around him as naturally as Noct's did when he was sleeping. She hugged firm and tight, and it somehow conveyed the strength he suspected nestled inside her small form. He, on the other hand, could barely find the stuff inside himself to lightly circle his arms around her, as though she might break if he hugged too hard. He was pretty sure that if anyone here broke, it would be him.

The most awkward hug to ever take place probably lasted for less than five seconds, but it felt like it lasted an hour before Luna pulled back, the bright smile back across her features. "So. Uh. I assume you want to see Noct?"

She nodded curtly, her face serious as she looked up at him. "And Ignis too, of course. I suppose he still thinks he has to make me an 'offering'?"

Was she implying that he didn't? Was that even implying that she had told Ignis before that he didn't have to? "Yeah, I helped him make tarts."

She gave a small huff that was somewhere between pleased and exasperated. "I'll accept, of course, but he doesn't have to." She shook her head with a bit of a smile, and then turned her head toward Gladio, "And don't think I'm ignoring you, Gladio. How have you been?"

"Decent," Gladio said, hands in his pockets, feet scuffing the ground as he shifted his weight between legs. "Still helping Iggy look for a new place."

"No luck?"

"Got a couple good options, but Noct's gotta approve before we can move forward."

The smile that was now spread over Luna's face was fond, nostalgic even. "Is he being obstreperous again?"

Another shrug rolled off Gladio's shoulders. "Don't think so? I just think that he wants it to be perfect. For once."

"A good alpha wants to make his pack happy, right?" Prompto would go so far as to say that Luna was grinning now, and when he glanced back at Gladio, he was grinning too.

"Right."

No one in the foyer seemed to object to a non-werewolf girl and her two dogs simply walking up and through it, except for Nyx, who raised his head and made the 'I'm watching you' motion in her direction. For a second, Prompto thought that this was super bad news, but then Luna threw her head back and laughed, and Nyx grinned before he turned back to what he was doing. "Do you know Nyx?"

Luna nodded, "Yes, we go back."

"You can ask Iggy or Noct for the full story," Gladio suggested behind them. "But Noct apparently ran off when he was a teenager, doing normal teenager shit with Luna, and Regis...might have overreacted and sent Nyx to deal with it."

"Poor choice on his part, considering Nyx is little more than a puppy himself."

"I heard that!" Came Nyx's insulted voice from the opposite side of the foyer, or maybe he was just pretending to be insulted. Prompto was still having a bit of a hard time telling the difference between fake and real when it came to people outside his pack.

"I'll have to go say hello before I leave," Luna continued on as though she'd heard nothing, "He's a good guy."

The Instant they reached the living room, Noctis jumped up from his seat and all but ran to Luna, who opened her arms with a laugh as he ran into them. Their hug wasn't nearly as awkward as his hug with her had been. Her fingers threaded up into his hair and patted his back while he rocked back and forth like she was someone he hadn't seen in ages. Maybe they hadn't. "I missed you, Luna!"

"I missed you too, Noctis."

"It feels like it's been forever."

"It always feels like forever to you," she chuckled.

"I know," he grumbled against her shoulder before pulling back. "Iggy made your favorite tarts!"

"Prompto assisted," Ignis added from his spot across the room. Prompto thought Ignis was acting kind of odd. He wasn't acting like he was angry, but a little...guarded? Was it because Luna was a fae? He did talk about her so formally, even though he said she was nice and good. Was he scared? The thought was distressing to him. Ignis supported them all, and he was usually so confident. The thought that someone could make him uncomfortable, even if he didn't need to be... Was there anything he could do to help him feel better?

 _'Yes,'_ said the little voice inside him that Prompto was starting to figure out was his "wolf", _'You're his omega. You can help. Go.'_

He obeyed that little voice and crossed the room to Ignis, sliding onto the arm of the chair and leaning against him. When didn't say anything against his being there he lied his head on his shoulder and tried to push his thoughts toward him. _'It's okay,'_ he tried to project. _'You're safe. Nothing here is going to harm you.'_ He kept thinking it over and over in his head until, to his surprise, Ignis relaxed.

Prompto didn't think he'd ever really seen Ignis truly relax, but right now he felt boneless in that chair, his head leaning against his own, and he thought he could feel the man smiling. Ignis didn't smile a lot. He knew how to make puns and laugh, but smiling for something other than comforting someone else wasn't one of his things. Prompto smiled too, insanely pleased that _he'd_ done this, made Ignis relax like this, and he kept pushing his thoughts toward him, hoping he could help even more.

"You'd better stop," Ignis whispered into his hair after about a minute, "Or I'm going to fall asleep, and that won't do with our guest here."

" 'Kay." Prompto pulled back a little, and made stand up, but Ignis caught his hand. "Yeah?"

"Thank you, Prompto. You helped, and I...needed that."

Prompto grinned, unable to stop himself, at the praise, warm fluttering feelings that were all his own dancing in his stomach. He'd done something good. He'd done something right. "Anytime. Just ask."

"Perhaps I will." Ignis released him and then stood up himself.

Prompto could see how relaxed he still was in the way he walked over to the rest of the group, asking if they wanted to indulge in the tarts now, while they were still warm. Both Noct and Luna agreed readily, and they all began to move toward the kitchen. Prompto even began to follow before a whine brought his attention downwards. There sat Pryna and Umbra, looking up at him with hopeful eyes, and his heart just melted. He'd always loved dogs, though his parents had never allowed him to keep one as a child. How could he possibly resist those huge, hopeful eyes? "Hey, Luna?"

"Yes, Prompto?" The blonde stuck her head back in the room, saw them all standing there, and then smiled in a way that made Prompto blush. "You can," she said simply, not even waiting for the request. "I'll make sure someone brings a tart to you."

"Ok-okay. Thanks." She was gone then, and Prompto was alone with the dogs.

_Pet? Please?_

There was that weird phenomenon again, where he was sure the dogs were talking, but was also sure that they weren't. Understanding, Gladio had called it. They _let_ him understand. For the first time Prompto realized that Luna's "dogs" weren't really "dogs" at all. They were fae, just like her. "Oh-Em-Gee. Fae dogs." Somehow, this made them all the more adorable.

_Pet? Please?_

"Yes. I want to pet you, I want to rub your ears, and poke your nose, and rub your belly--" The instant the suggestion of belly rubs was out of his mouth Pryna had rolled over and Umbra was pawing at his leg impatiently. Prompto laughed, full and joyously. "All right, just a second," Umbra backed off a little, tail wagging at about a thousand miles a minute as Prompto knelt down and took the dog's face in his hands, rubbing furiously before he moved onto Pryna's belly. He went back and forth between the two dogs petting, rubbing, scratching, cooing, until he wasn't sure which hand was really on which dog. Paws were planted firmly on his legs and his hands, arms, and face had been licked repeatedly by excited tongues.

Prompto was still laughing, feeling better than he had in over a year. He'd cleared the air with Gladio, he'd met Noctis' best friend, he'd helped Ignis relax, and now he got to sit here loved on by two very soft and fluffy dogs. In that moment, everything felt good, perfect even.

An intense rush of warmth filled his chest, and felt an equally intense blush spread across his face and up to his ears as he dissected the feelings that mingled together. A feeling of joy, a little embarrassment, but far more affection, protectiveness...and attraction. Even Prompto could not deny that thread of feeling that was attraction. "Gladio?" He tore his eyes away from the happy and excited dogs to find the man he'd expected standing in the doorway, holding two plates. Prompto recognized the look on his face. It was the same look of surprise and awe he'd worn when they'd first met. That felt like forever ago, but his brain reminded him that it hadn't even been two weeks.

After a second, Gladio gave an awkwardly fake cough and looked away. "Sorry," he grumbled.

Prompto felt the warmth start to retreat as Gladio began to reign in his emotions. "No," he said sharply, pulling those emotions back, and carefully threading his own warmth through them, hoping that Gladio could feel it. Fondness, curiosity, and a longing to be closer. "It's okay."

Maybe he imagined it, but Prompto thought he saw Gladio's face grow redder, just a little as he stepped into the room fully, setting the two plates on the coffee table, his voice a timid tremble as he asked; "Can I join your dog petting party?"

Prompto smiled. "I'd like that."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO. I added a pairing to the story as well as a couple of tags that I thought were...relevant. I'll probably keep on adding as I go, but I'll let you know any time I add anything.
> 
> The things I added this week were:  
> Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia  
> Mutual Pining  
> Slow Burn  
> So much slow burn
> 
> I am also considering writing up backstory and side scene chapters and posting them as I go in a collection of oneshots related to the story. Not sure how many people would actually be interested in reading them, but I'll probably write it anyway.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Luna stayed until dinnertime, and she was simply delightful. When he imagined a fae, he imagined them being stuffy and rigid, (a sentiment he'd spoken aloud at some point, and Luna had smiled at him, stating that he was perfectly describing Ravus.) but Luna loved to smile and laugh, and Noctis loved to smile and laugh with her. It was clear that they had known each other for a very long time. It was also clear that despite his reservations about fully relaxing in her presence, Iggy liked Luna, and Luna liked Iggy. Truthfully, Prompto found it hard to believe that anyone would not like her, for she seemed open and kind, and treated him as though they were old friends already. A part of him actually felt a loss when she said she and the dogs had to head back to Insomnia.

"I'll miss you," he said honestly, and she held her arms open for another hug. This hug wasn't as awkward as the first, though it was shorter. It wouldn't be the last they'd ever share, he was sure of it.

"I'll miss you too, Prompto, just as I'll miss all of you. You should come visit me from time to time. It'd be a nice change of pace."

"Maybe once we're settled," Noctis said with a shrug and a smile. "It'll be easier to get out then."

"Let me know."

"Duh. I'm not that rude."

She hugged Noctis then, not as desperately as the first time, and then moved onto Gladio, who hugged her like she was a glass figurine. Last was Ignis, who she did not hug at all, but clasped hands with. "Don't worry about dinner. I know I've kept you all late. I'll have something sent."

"Don't worry about it," he said softly. "I can whip up something simple."

"I absolutely insist, Ignis," She said, tugging on his hands stubbornly. "My treat. Free. No strings. I want to do something for you."

Ignis opened his mouth, probably to argue some more, but from beside Prompto, Noctis spoke. "Ignis," not Specs, Ignis. Prompto wasn't sure he'd ever heard Noctis actually call Ignis by his proper name before. " _Please_."

His mouth formed a thin line, as though he were fighting two primal parts of himself, which, Prompto thought, he might have been. One part was the part that wanted to please Noctis. The other part was the part that wanted to do everything himself and accept no help. In the end, his love of Noctis won, as Prompto suspected it always would. "That would be lovely."

Forty-five minutes later, three pizzas and two containers of a fancy Italian dish Prompto couldn't even pronounce the name of, but smelled very garlicky, arrived at their door. Noctis said the pizzas would be for Prompto, Noctis, and Gladio, and the...whatever it was with shrimp and angel hair would be for Ignis. When the boxes were opened, it was clear that somehow Luna even knew what kind of toppings they all liked, for Noct's looked like it had every kind of meat under the sun, Gladio's had a little bit of everything, and his own pizza-- "How did she know I like pineapple and ham?" He'd expected something safe like cheese, or pepperoni, but here was his favorite controversial pizza sitting right in front of him.

Noctis shrugged while he chewed through the half slice of pizza he'd already managed to shove in his face. "She just kinda knows these things. Part of being her kind of fae, I think?"

"What kind of fae is she?" Unlike Noctis, both Prompto and Gladio took plates and took slices of pizza, like civilized people. Prompto could just hear Ignis saying that they weren't animals, except, you know, they kind of were. Noctis was definitely proving it by already having shoved _another_ half slice in his mouth, like he hadn't eaten in days, and not just hours.

"Hey," Gladio whispered by his ear, causing Prompto to jump a little. He still had to get used to that. It felt like he never would. "Do you mind if I take a piece of yours? I've never tried it."

Prompto nodded. "Go for it." It wasn't like he was probably going to be able to finish off this entire thing in one sitting. Cold pizza was great, but he wasn't gonna be a pig and hog it all.

"Cool," Gladio reached over him, the sides of their faces so close that the tips of his longer hair were tickling his neck, and his heart kicked up the speed about twelve notches. "You can have a piece of mine too, if you want."

"Thanks," he squeaked out. "I'll think about it."

As Gladio pulled back at last, letting Prompto feel like he could breathe again, Noctis swallowed his first five bites of pizza and answered his question. "She's the really powerful kind. They call her an oracle, but I dunno if that's what she is, or if that's just what her powers manifested as. It's not really something you ask? Like asking a girl her age: Something that's probably going to get you smacked to next Tuesday."

"Gotcha." He could sort of understand that. There were just things you didn't ask a person, and if that was one of things you didn't ask Luna, he would respect that.

They ate in companionable silence for a little while, until Ignis decided that they needed to discuss a couple things. By that point Gladio had eaten almost half his pizza, Ignis was halfway through his...dish, and Noctis was finished. Prompto was the slow eater, who had yet to start his fifth piece. "Do you still plan on taking Noct with you tomorrow?"

Gladio nodded as he swallowed, and then elaborated, "I found a couple nice places in the Tenebrae area, but I'm not sure how Noct's gonna feel about them, so, you know, second opinion."

"I'm cool with that. I'll set an alarm." Prompto wasn't sure a police siren would be enough to get Noctis up, let alone your basic alarm, but he said nothing. If all else failed, Noct would get up when Iggy told him. Noct was the alpha, but Prompto didn't think he was dumb enough to think he really called all the shots. Maybe part of being alpha was knowing when someone else was right.

"I was also thinking," Gladio began, frowning, not meeting any of their eyes. "That on Friday, I start taking Prompto with me during the day."

Prompto was confused, and he only grew more confused when Ignis said, "I was actually thinking the same thing."

"Yeah?"

"I...uh...don't understand?" It wasn't that he was really against it. Going out with Gladio would mean they could spend time together, get to know each other better, which was definitely something that Prompto wanted. What he didn't understand was why.

"You know what Gladio does during the day right now, don't you?" Prompto shook his head. He had a basic understanding that he went to different areas looking at things and he returned in the evening, but beyond that he hadn't really bothered to ask. "Ah. Apologies, I thought you understood."

"It's okay, just...explain? Please?"

"You know that we're looking for a territory to settle in, correct?" Prompto nodded. That he did know. He knew Ignis spent at least two hours a day on his laptop looking at different locations that might be viable. He said as much, and Ignis smiled. "Yes, and when I find places that could potentially be suitable, Gladio goes and checks them out in person. If he finds a place that has no packs within it, and might suit all of our needs, he takes Noct with him for approval."

"Noct's the picky one," Gladio said grinning.

"Hey!" Noctis glowered, reaching out with a foot and shoving Gladio's knee with it. "I just want it to be perfect!" He crossed his arms in a sulk and grumbled, "Nothing wrong with that."

"Obviously," Ignis continued on, ignoring his alpha's sulk, "We haven't found a proper fit yet, or we wouldn't still be here. Time _is_ winding down, the longer we stay, the more nerves we rub against. Regis is very patient, but not all his wolves are."

"We don't wanna make Regis choose between his son and his pack. Not good."

Prompto nodded. It made sense, he supposed, and the idea of a father having to choose between defending his son and his other responsibilities was sad. "So how can I help?"

"You've settled into the pack nicely, Prompto, and I'm no longer afraid that if you go out in public you'll have a sensory overload. You can be Gladio's second pair of eyes. You basically know what we like, and what we might need in a territory and home. I also seem to remember that you have a lovely camera in your room that you haven't touched since the day you bought it. It's true that the sites I visit provide pictures, but they're all put in the best possible light. I feel like you'd capture reality better, and you can bring back pictures of the surrounding area as well for Noct and I to look over at the end of the day. I understand that this might not be your preferred subjects to photograph, but--"

"No. No. This is good. I'd be happy to help." It totally made sense now, and Ignis was right. He could definitely take a ton of pictures for them to look at. It would even be an honor, to have people look at his pictures that weren't just him and his old photography teacher.

Ignis smiled. "Excellent."

"So..."

"Yes?"

"Why Friday?" Prompto twisted his fingers together nervously. He was excited! Don't get him wrong. He hadn't been out of the house since that first day, and to hear that his pack was totally going to trust him to do something that really seemed important was great, but, "If Noct doesn't pick anything tomorrow, why not Thursday?"

Three pairs of eyes stared at him. They stared. Hard, and Prompto felt his face heat up. Had he said something stupid? If so, he'd like to be told what it was.

After a few seconds, Noctis moved next to him, a hand reaching out and gently covering his own, and a buzzing emotion flowed into him. Comfort filled him like a water glass and Prompto relaxed. Noct wasn't angry, just confused, "Do you...not feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"The moon," Gladio said, sounding baffled. "I've been feeling its pull for days."

"I as well have been aware of its approach for several days," Ignis said softly. "The full moon is on Thursday. Do you not feel it calling you?"

Prompto shook his head no. He knew werewolves changed on the full moon. Of all the things he'd known about werewolves from horror movies, that was the thing that was true. You changed when the moon was full and high in the sky. You could change at other times, Noct seemed to enjoy shifting between forms every couple of days, but Prompto couldn't see how. It was endlessly painful to change back and forth, he'd rather only do it when he had no choice, but, to feel it coming? He'd never felt it.

"Is that maybe an omega thing?" Gladio asked, but Ignis only shook his head.

"I don't know. Possibly? Regardless, I'll make sure to inform you at least three days in advance from now on, so that you don't accidentally make plans for a day you cannot be available."

"Thanks," Prompto bit his lip, feeling a bit dumb, and more than a bit broken. A broken werewolf who wasn't feeling something he clearly ought to feel. "So...what do we do during the full moon? Do we just stay inside, or hole up in a bunker?"

"Is that what you used to do?"

Prompto nodded uncertainly. Ardyn had never been around during full moon. He'd only shoved Prompto in a cage, and returned when he'd changed back the next morning. "Something like that."

"Unhealthy," Gladio grumbled.

"Agreed," Ignis said, his tone the height of disapproval. "A werewolf must hunt. We are predators, after all. If we don't hunt during the full moon, we'll start doing in elsewhere, and someone might get hurt, or even killed. So, no, Prompto, we won't be staying inside and sleeping it off. We will go out, and, as a pack, we will hunt."

Hunt. The word set off two emotions inside of him. One was excitement. The other was dread.


	9. Chapter 9

Without Noct around, it was strangely lonely and empty in their home. He was used to Gladio being gone, that felt natural, since he'd practically been gone every day since he'd arrived, but Noct was precisely the opposite. He'd never even known Noctis to leave the mansion, let alone travel far enough away that his bond felt like a string of yarn rather than a bar of steel.

Prompto tried to keep himself busy. He put away and washed the dishes, as had become his chore. He tidied the areas Noctis had touched before he'd left, swept, and mopped before Ignis could get to it. All in all, this only took him a couple hours, and he was left feeling listless. Normally, by now, Noctis would have pulled him aside for a nap, or they would have started playing a game together.

That was where he ended up; on the couch playing a game. He was allowed to play by himself, Noct certainly didn't forbid any of them from playing. He very much seemed to believe in "what's mine is yours," which Prompto supposed was a good alpha approach. He'd played by himself before, knowing that the sounds would probably draw Noctis out of his room at lunchtime. Noctis wasn't there to draw out, and somehow, playing felt empty when his alpha wasn't there to make comments or give advice. Hollow. He played anyway. He simply didn't have anything better to do.

He smelled the bacon before he heard Ignis' footsteps approaching, and suddenly, Prompto felt a little guilty. Ignis _was_ here. He wasn't truly alone. How could he be this lonely when Ignis was here? Why wasn't Ignis enough?

"You can stop that line of thought," Ignis said as he sat a plate of what looked distinctly like BLTs on the coffee table before setting himself down next to Prompto on the couch. "It is perfectly normal to acutely feel the absence of your pack, especially one's alpha, and especially the first time."

"Am I still that obvious?"

When he looked, Ignis was smiling, his gentle, comforting smile, not the one he wore when he was about to make a terribly great pun. "You're getting better at withholding your emotions. Much better. I just also happen to have a great deal more experience reading them. Gladio wouldn't be able to tell, if he were here."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment to me, or an insult to Gladio."

At that, Ignis chuckled, and leaned back fully, giving off an air of relaxation. Prompto wasn't really sure Ignis ever really relaxed like that by himself, but he was certainly good at pretending just then. "A little of both."

"Do you miss him?" Prompto asked, biting his lip. It felt like a stupid question, but he asked anyway.

"Noctis?"

Prompto nodded, pressing pause on his game and grabbing a sandwich. There were six, and that meant three were for him, and three were for Ignis. He was a very fair man, Ignis was. They always got equal. "Do you feel this same hollowness in your chest when he's not here with us?"

Ignis sighed. "I feel that hollowness when Noctis isn't in the same _room_ with me. I'm very used to it. I've been feeling his absence since he was old enough to walk away from me. Trust me, you get used to it."

That's right. Ignis had known Noctis from the time he was born. Ignis was older than all of them. Maybe even all of them combined. "Is...it rude to ask how old you are?"

Ignis chuckled again, and Prompto felt the tips of his ears turn pink with embarrassment. "It is, but I don't mind. I'm one hundred and seventy-two years of age." He paused, but continued on before Prompto's brain could fully process that number. "For comparison, Noctis is one hundred and one, and Gladio is thirty-five." He was. Oh god, he really was older than all of them combined. "For further comparison, both Regis and Clarus are somewhere in their five hundreds. We're all very young, compared to them."

Prompto kind of felt like he was falling. He knew he was firmly seated on the couch, yet he felt like he was falling through the atmosphere to a sure and quick death. Despite this, the questions kept spilling from his mouth. "So...how long do werewolves live?"

"Hypothetically, a werewolf can live forever. Our bodies are kept in ideal condition by the virus, and we don't get physically ill. Despite this, most of us don't even make it ten years in. They can't control the violence that often festers from the change, and tend to get themselves killed by something, often another werewolf. We aren't indestructible, after all. Most of us also tend to get Touched somewhere in our three hundreds, and that makes us too dangerous to let live. It's then the alpha's job to put down the Touched wolf for the safety of the pack."

"Touched?"

"Mind Touched. Age Addled. There are several different ways to say it. We go crazy or insane is the simplest way to put it. I suspect the wolf you were with before was Touched."

Prompto's eyes widened as he realized that he had not thought about Ardyn all day until that point. He ducked his head a little, the mention of his former owner weighing heavy over his entire being. Was it good or bad that he hadn't thought about Ardyn all day?  "Makes sense, I guess."

Ignis' hand rested itself gently on his knee, and comfort filled him from toes to head. Ignis wasn't a submissive or an omega, but Prompto found that he gave excellent comfort all the same. "Thanks, Iggy." Prompto scooted himself over a little so that their legs touched, and the feeling of comfort doubled as they ate their lunch together. By the time Ignis had finished his last sandwich, the loneliness had dulled to a bearable ache.

Gladio and Noct returned before dinnertime, if only by a hair. By that time, Prompto and Ignis had gravitated back toward the living room, with Prompto still playing a game, and Ignis reading the book he'd been working on for the last couple of days. It was Ignis who was assaulted by their alpha first. There was no warning, no words, not even a hello before Noctis quite literally hopped into Ignis' lap, causing Ignis to both drop his book, and make a sound that Prompto could only describe as something between a yelp of surprise and a sigh of frustration. "Noctis! I was reading that!"

Noct didn't reply to him, instead their alpha only rested his head against Ignis' chest, and, after a second, Prompto realized Noct was probably listening to Ignis' heartbeat. "I missed you, Specs."

At the confession, Ignis face melted from upset into something soft and vulnerable, an expression Prompto suspected not many people had ever been privileged enough to see. He brought a hand up to card through Noct's hair, and whispered, almost inaudibly, "I missed you too."

Prompto was so caught up in watching the tender moment between them that he was startled by Gladio's hand on his shoulder. "Just me," he said with a smile in his voice, and, sure enough, when he tilted his head back, Gladio was smiling down at him, those amber eyes making the expression all the warmer.

Prompto smiled back, his heart beating just a little faster in his chest. "What's up?"

"We got you something while we were out today."

"You did?"

"Oh yeah!" Noctis said from his spot on Ignis' lap. "Almost forgot." When Prompto glanced over, Noct was worming his way out of Ignis' lap, eyes and smile bright. His excitement radiated in his chest like a the sun, and when Noctis held out his hands, Gladio chuckled and handed over two bags. The first bag was handed off to Ignis, who's expression was nothing but surprise. "Got something for you too. You said you needed a new set, right?"

When Ignis pulled out the contents of the bag, Prompto was confused. It was a folding pack of what looked like cloth. What was so special about that? However, when Ignis unfolded it, Prompto saw the prize inside. Knives, chef's knives, probably, and, if by the way Ignis gave off a small coo at the sight of them was any indication, they were high quality chef's knives. "These are very nice. I can't believe you remembered I'd said that. Thank you, Noct, Gladio."

"Hey! I pay attention to you." Noct frowned a pout. "I remember the important things."

"Of course you do." Ignis chortled, "Again. My thanks. To both of you." Ignis' eyes shifted to Gladio, making sure that he knew he was acknowledged too. Prompto could just barely see Gladio duck his head, the motion almost shy.

When Noctis handed the other bag to him, Prompto took it, silently hoping it wasn't some other form of kitchen equipment. He simply wouldn't know what to do with it. Ignis was starting to let him cut things like tomatoes, when pestered, but between that and putting away dishes, he'd reached the end of his kitchen skills. What he pulled out of the bag was definitely not anything kitchen related, and his heart leapt in joy before his brain caught up with what it actually was. "How did you guys know I like chocobos?!"

"Didn't," Gladio's voice said behind his head as he hugged the plush bird to his chest. Oh, it was so soft, and fluffy, and yellow! "Noct and I thought you needed something that served zero purpose. It was Noct who zeroed in on the chocobo though."

"It's very yellow," Noct observed with a chuckle. "So I thought it might make you happy."

"It does. Thank you guy so much!" He pressed his cheek against the soft fuzz, his feet even going so far as to swing his feet back and forth against the floor happily.

As he cuddled his new prize, Prompto hummed a familiar, nostalgic tune, and Gladio laughed the deep belly laugh that always put butterflies in his stomach. "He even knows the chocobo theme! You picked good, Noct."

"Sometimes I even impress myself."

All too soon the moment had passed, and they were discussing the actual purpose for the day's outing. It had been a failure. Noct had found both areas were already occupied by wolf packs, one too young and aggressive to even consider talking to them. "We had to hightail it out there pretty quickly," Gladio admitted with a sigh. "Actually surprised they didn't zero in on me when I first visited the area."

"We'll try again on Friday, right?"

His encouragement was met with a wan smile, and Gladio ruffled his hair. "Of course we will. Bet we'll find a place in no time at all, with you on the case." Prompto grinned, but nervousness fluttered up inside him too. What if they didn't? What if he couldn't help at all? Would they kick him out of the pack? His brain said no, but his heart wasn't sure. He didn't want to leave. He liked it here, with them, knowing they (probably) didn't hate him, knowing they were here. He wanted to help. He needed to help.

The nervousness dispersed when Ignis got to his feet, saying he needed to finish the final steps of dinner so they could eat, and then go to bed to properly rest before tomorrow. Right. Tomorrow. The full moon. Prompto had enough to worry about with that, without even thinking beyond it to Friday. He'd never hunted. What if he screwed up their rhythm?

Ignis left the room, and Noct moved too, not to follow him, but to throw himself down on the couch next to Prompto, his arms wrapping tightly around his shoulders, his nose pressed to the side of his head. "I missed you too, Prom," Noct whispered in his ear before he got up as quickly as he'd sat down, announcing that he was going to change his clothes before Ignis came back with food.

"Congrats," Gladio said from the chair he'd finally settled into. "You just earned your first nickname. Does it feel good?"

Yes. It did.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to be a 500 word scene at the beginning of the hunting chapter. It became a full chapter. My apologies.

Waking up the next morning was like feeling Noctis wake up all the time. Thick, hazy, and somewhat grumpy. Just getting up out of bed was a chore, and the task of showering and dressing even more so. Ignis was already in the kitchen when he'd managed to drag himself to it, and at the sight of him, he managed a small smile. "I don't think I've seen you with your hair down before." It looked good, and made him look even younger, and yet, there was something concerning about it, something that spoke much more to Noctis than Ignis.

"I couldn't muster up the will this morning. My apologies."

His voice was clipped, but also soft, not irritated but-- "Are you hurting right now? Like a migraine or something, Iggy? Do werewolves get migraines?"

"It's the moon," he explained in that equally soft voice. "Are you sure you cannot feel it?"

"I'm...lethargic?" Prompto answered with a shrug. "But nothing like a migraine. Do you want to go back to bed?" Ignis looked pale, tired, and taut. That part wasn't a good look on him, and the longer he stared, the more Prompto thought he should just drop what he was doing and climb back under his covers until he felt better.

Ignis shook his head, eyes closed, even as he began mixing together dry ingredients what looked like it might be pancake batter. "I need to make breakfast. No one else here can."

Prompto opened his mouth to argue, but he heard a shuffling in the doorway and, when he turned his head, Noctis was there, looking all same pale and tired that Ignis did, but lacking that _tightness_. "Specs. Prom's right. Bed. With me." It was Ignis' turn to open his mouth to argue, but Prompto watched Noct's mouth draw together, his eyes narrow, and then a single word was spat out in his direction. "Now." The order had not been said at him, but Prompto felt the power of it sift through the pack bonds, claws sinking in _deep_ and not letting go. Noct had given orders before, but nothing like _that_. Even Ignis would not be able to deny that order, let alone argue against it.

Even as he thought it, the spoon that Ignis had been using dropped to the counter in a clatter of metallic sound, and Ignis was by Noctis' side in an instant. He might have been imagining it, but Prompto thought he saw Ignis shaking just a little. Those green eyes stared down at Noctis expectantly, and Noct looked back up, smiling lightly, a hand reaching up to push the hair out of his face. "You do so much for us. Let me take care of you today."

Ignis said nothing, but he nodded his assent. Prompto thought he looked a little like an addict.

"Good. Get back in your bed clothes, head to my room. I'll be in in a few minutes."

"Ah-all right."

Ignis departed immediately, and Noctis stepped fully into the kitchen with a sigh. "What kind of cereal do you like?" Noctis was smiling at him. Normally, Prompto thought the expression would be a wide grin, but, like Ignis, he seemed far too tired for it, even for someone who was as tired as Noct _always_ was.

"Trix? I ate a lot of them as a kid."

Noctis nodded, stifling a yawn. "Trix is good. We've got that. Gimme a sec." He disappeared into the pantry for a second, an area Prompto had not yet been allowed into for fear of incurring Iggy's wrath. When he returned he was carrying three boxes. The first was a box of Trix, and the second was Honey Bunches of Oats. "For Specs," Noctis commented, making a gagging face and sticking his finger in his mouth to show the extent of his disgust, but then smiling again when Prompto chuckled. The third box was Lucky Charms. Prompto thought those would be for Noct, after all, sugary marshmallows seemed right up his alley, but when he got down bowls, the box of Lucky Charms was set next to the bowl he left unfilled. For Gladio then.

Noct let Prompto serve himself first, and while he did, Noctis did something that surprised him. He went into the fridge and took out a package of strawberries before sitting down at the table with a knife and expertly slicing them into one of the bowls. "Specs likes strawberries a lot," he grumbled when he noticed Prompto staring, the tips of his ears slowly turning red. He turned back to the strawberries resolutely and continued, "I _love_ him, you know. A lot. I know I don't show it enough, but I do. I know he thinks I don't pay attention to him. Or care about him." He paused, hands falling into his lap, "But I _do_."

"He doesn't think that." All Prompto had ever seen was Ignis' caring for Noctis. Often exasperated, but also fond when he spoke. Prompto hadn't been in the pack long, but he knew the two of them had a special bond, and not just because they were older than he or Gladio.

"Yeah," Noctis grumbled, bringing the strawberry and knife back up to table level and continuing his slicing. "He does. He's only here 'cause Dad told him to be here. Gladio too. They're only here to take care of me. I'm glad they are, because I love them, and I can't do it alone, but...I'm the alpha. I should be doing shit like this more often."

"They love you too. We all have a role to play, right?" He was starting to realize that too, even within the small peeks he got of Regis' pack. Everyone in the pack served a purpose. A pack was a machine, and werewolves didn't allow for spare parts.

"I guess."

It was surprising to Prompto, to see that Noctis was insecure. From day one he'd always seen Noctis as confident and strong. He would have never guessed that even he had insecurities. He scooted his chair closer to Noct. "Sorry," Noctis grumbled after a second. "I just...hate seeing him like that. I know he likes cooking and doing stuff. He's never been a sit still kind of guy, but...when he's like this, even though I know it's the moon, it hurts. I wish I could just make him happy. I wish I could make all of you happy."

Prompto breathed deeply in and out, and then, "Noct. I'm happier here, with you guys, than I've been in my entire life. Here. For less than two weeks. Happiest less than two weeks of my life."

Noct looked up at him. "Really?" Prompto bit his lip, but nodded, maintaining eye contact as he did so, to show how serious be was. It wasn't a lie. The loneliness he'd felt before was gone. He ate better now than he ever had. Sure, things could be better, he didn't exactly like staying inside most of the time and he didn't like feeling like he didn't contribute, but he felt good here. It felt like he might actually belong to these people, like he wasn't someone outside looking in through the window.

Noctis ducked his head shyly, and began slicing another strawberry. "Thanks. You don't know how much it means to hear it."

"Hey, Buddy?"

"Hm?"

"Keep it up, and you're gonna be giving Iggy a bowl of strawberries. No cereal."

When Noctis looked down, he'd find that the sizeable bowl was already half full. "Shit." Noct sat back and shook his head. "Specs...probably won't mind?" He finished off the strawberry he was working on, and then poured cereal in to mix before he took the Trix and began to fill his own bowl.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did," Noct said back with a tired smirk.

"Smartass."

The smirk got a little bigger. "Go ahead."

"Why do you call Iggy 'Specs'?"

"Because...he wears glasses?"

"Well yeah, but why? Just because he needs 'em--"

"Oh." Noct cut him off with a chuckle. "Oh. You haven't realized it yet. Gotcha."

"Realized what?"

"That werewolves don't need glasses. Ever. Werewolves have perfect eyesight. Just like we can't get fat and shit, and our wounds heal really fast, and we're young, even when we're not. The "virus" takes care of all that. His eyes are perfect. The glasses aren't prescription. He's just uncomfortable without them. Always has been. Dad said they were always an integral part of him when he was human, and it just stuck after he changed. I started calling him that as a kid, to mock him. 'Cause, you know, I was a little shit as a kid."

"Hate to break it to you, Noct, but you're still a little shit." This earned him a shove at his shoulder and a good laugh. It was still tired, but it was good. Maybe Noct felt a little better now. Prompto hoped so.

"I'm heading to my room now. Specs is probably getting antsy. I kind of... _overdid_ it with my order. Gladio should be up for breakfast soon. When you guys are done, come join us. We'll just sleep until we gotta go."

"Okay.

Gladio arrived about ten minutes after Noct left, dressed only in a pair of sweats. Shit. Prompto's face heated up faster then Ignis' oven did, and he looked down, before something else brought his eyes upward. "You have a tattoo?" It was a stupid question. Prompto _knew_ he had a tattoo, he'd seen bits and pieces of it under sleeves and collars, but there it was, all of it, displayed right in front of him. It was _huge_.

"Good morning to you too."

"Oh! Morning."

Gladio snickered as he sank into the chair the Lucky Charms had been sat in front of. "But yes, I have a tattoo. Got it before I was changed." It wasn't a wolf, or really anything Prompto would have expected a werewolf to have plastered on their arms. Instead it was a hawk, a giant hawk whose wings and feathers skittered down the muscles of Gladio's bare arms, ending in the hints he'd seen before. "You like it?"

Prompto nodded absently. He did. He _liked_ it. "It looks really good on you." A tattoo like that would only look stupid on his scrawny body, but on Gladio it was definitely...sexy. If it were possible, his face went even more red at the thought and he looked determinedly back down at his mostly empty bowl of cereal.

"You could touch it, if you want."

"No-no thanks." Teasing. Oh-em-gee, he was being such a tease, and it made Prompto want to just curl up inside himself and hide. Another, smaller, more primal part of him wanted to do just that though, run his fingers over those inked feathers, and across that beak, and then maybe onto unmarked skin, just to see if there was a difference in feel... Yeah. No. Definitely not. He needed to shut that part of his brain down. Way down.

Gladio laughed heartily at him, damn him. "So I assume Noct has dragged Iggy back to bed, and we're supposed to join him when we're done here?"

"Yeah. Does...does this happen every full moon?"

"Almost," Gladio shrugged, and Prompto tried to not think about how those feathers moved when he did. "Iggy's really affected by the moon. Noct thinks it's because he controls himself so much the rest of the time, and never changes except at the moon. So he gets like this now. He'll be better tomorrow."

"Why _would_ he change more often? It hurts so much to change."

"Yeah," Gladio agreed. "It hurts, but the more often you do it, the easier it is. Less it hurts. I don't think Iggy ever really wanted to be a wolf though, so he only really embraces it at the moon's call."

"Did you?" Prompto asked softly, idly swishing his spoon through the remaining milk. "Want to be a werewolf, that is."

"Me? Yeah. I chose it. I was raised around it, and the older I got, the more I knew it was what I needed. So eventually I asked to be changed. It's better this way."

Prompto couldn't imagine it, wanting to be a werewolf, thinking it was better. Sure, it came with things that seemed like benefits, like the youth and the metabolism, but the changing, and the pain, and the hierarchy itself were all so extreme. It seemed like everything with wolves was extreme. He couldn't imagine it actually being the preferable choice. A part of him wanted to ask about it, ask what made it preferable, but he held himself back. Not today. Maybe someday, but not today.

When they were both done eating, bowls were set in the sink to be washed and Prompto covered up Ignis' unfinished work before they made their way to Noct's room. The door was slightly ajar, and Gladio didn't bother to knock before pushing his way in.

Only Ignis as actually asleep. The man was curled into Noct's chest, looking oddly vulnerable with his fingers lightly gasping at his alpha's shirt while Noct lay there, eyes open, fingers sliding through Ignis' loose locks. Prompto couldn't decide if the pair of them looked peaceful, or like they were in pain. Maybe it was both.

Noctis looked at them after a moment and smiled. He lifted a hand and silently gestured for them to join. Gladio closed the door softly behind him, and they obeyed the unspoken order.

Prompto thought, just for a second before he fell asleep to the sound of Ignis' heartbeat, that maybe, just maybe, if he stayed here with them, being a werewolf wasn't the terrible fate he'd once thought it was.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The hunting chapter! Which...is honestly more like the "shifting back and forth chapter." Which I suppose might be disappointing to some of you, but that's what I decided to focus on, since it was what stuck out as important when I was writing it. 
> 
> So, it's looking like part one is going to 17 or 18 chapters when I'm done writing it, and I'm still thinking I'm going to get started on those side stories and start posting those too, when...I actually finish one. OTL I'll post a link in a chapter note when I get that started.
> 
> Enjoy!

Ignis was still unwell when the sun began to set, and so Gladio took over driving, at least, this was how it was according to Noct. "Does Iggy usually drive?"

"Usually," Noct admitted with a shrug. "I can, and obviously Gladio can, but Gladio prefers his motorcycle. Normally, if Specs is in the car, he's at the wheel. It's probably one of his many control things."

"I cannot help it that neither of you can drive out of a paper bag without occasionally ramming into the sides," came Ignis' irritated voice from the seat behind Prompto.

"Someone's touchy," Gladio said with an amused chuckle.

Prompto twisted around in his seat to look at Ignis. He looked even worse than he had that morning, pale, eyes closed. The glasses that had earned him Noct's nickname had been left at the mansion, and Prompto thought he looked oddly vulnerable without them. He reached out, stretching the very limits of how far his arm could go, and let the tips of his fingers brush against Iggy's shoulder. Those thin lips curled into a smile, and his eyes opened, just barely. The sight caused Prompto to gasp, his hand pulling back quickly. He'd grown so used to those beautiful green eyes. What looked at him now was not green, but gold. Those were the eyes of a Wolf.

Noct leaned forward to see what had riled him up, and hissed when he saw those eyes. Beautiful, Prompto thought. They were beautiful, but they were deadly. "Hey, if you wanna start changing now, it's fine, Ignis." Ignis, oh, how rarely Noctis used his full name. It had to be serious. "You know I'll help you, and by the time you're done, we'll be there."

"Hm. I'd rather not." Those eyes slowly closed again, and Prompto's heart stopped hammering in his chest, as though the simple act of closing his eyes had made what was going on beneath the eyelids go away. "I'll change with the rest of my pack, when we get there."

"There" was a forest just on the other side of the suburbia that Prompto was starting to realize was Regis' domain. Noctis had said that his father's pack hunted on the mansion grounds, and that he, Ignis, and Gladio had once done so as well, but now that they were a separate pack, they'd had to find somewhere else to go. "When we move," he'd said, "We'll have to find yet another place. Not too worried about it though. Even if we move to a city, we can just make a camping trip of it every month. Gladio would like that."

For now, it seemed this place was it, and the car was parked in a clearing just before the thick of the trees really began. It didn't escape Prompto's notice that the clearing was off road, and that no one who wasn't looking for them would find them.

When the engine was killed, Noctis all but jumped out of the car, and was hurrying Ignis out with a worried expression that Prompto couldn't help but think was adorable, at least, it was adorable until Noctis spoke. "Strip, Ignis. You're going first."

Though Noctis was given a _look_ , Ignis didn't argue, and began to take off his clothing, starting with his shoes, and then his gloves. When he began to unbutton his shirt, Prompto made a small noise that even he thought sounded like a mouse, and turned away. Beside him, Gladio chuckled, and his large hand patted his shoulder. "You do know we're all going to be stripping, right? Even you?"

"I know!" He hissed back at him. It wasn't the first time he'd changed after all, but before, there's never been anyone around to see him in his nakedness. Ardyn had always made himself scarce on the full moon, and Prompto had only had to work himself out of his clothes before the change took its hold. He'd never seen anyone else change, never pushed in on anyone else's privacy.

The hand on his shoulder thumped a couple of times, and Prompto wasn't sure if it was comforting, or teasing. "You get used to it. Being naked is just a part of being a wolf. We get to a point where it means nothing."

"Then why don't _you_ walk around the house without clothes all the time?!"

Gladio chuckled. "I would, but Iggy would murder me. He'd tell me we're werewolves, not savages."

Prompto agreed with Ignis on this point, and opened his mouth to tell Gladio exactly that when pain blossomed in his chest, and despite his shyness he turned to look. Ignis lied on the ground, curled in a ball, with Noctis, still clothed, lied at his back, head tucked into his shoulder, fingers running through his hair, and though Prompto couldn't make out the exact words, he knew Noct was mumbling words of comfort. Noctis blocked most of his body, but he was too small to totally block the tremors that ran under Ignis' skin as he began the change.

"It's always worse for Ignis," Gladio mumbled, his voice sad and pained.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Gladio shook his head and internally, Prompto's heart sunk. "Noct's doing what he can to lessen the pain, but, I don't think you can do anything more. We can only wait." With that, Gladio settled on the ground, and looked up at him with a teasing grin that somehow didn't carry to his eyes. "You can sit in my lap, if you like."

Despite himself, a blush broke out over his face. Tease. He was always such a tease, and there was the temptation to just tell Gladio where he could shove that teasing, but a stronger force won out. Prompto wasn't sure what it was precisely, Ignis' pain thrumming in his chest, the sad look on Gladio's face, or his own desire, but after a few moments he draped himself across Gladio's lap, and listened to his strong heartbeat. It helped.

He must have nearly fallen asleep like that, because the next thing he was really aware of were Gladio's fingers teasing his hair, and Noct's voice directly in front of them. "You're next, Gladio."

" 'Kay. You gotta move, Prom." His body felt heavy as he obeyed, scrambling to his feet ungracefully. He felt Gladio moving to get up directly after him, and he made sure to keep his back to him as Gladio too, began to strip down to nothing before his change. Instead of falling into that trap, Prompto focused his attention on Ignis, or, what he assumed was Ignis. The wolf laying on the ground was long and tawny colored, the gold colored eyes that looked up at him were intelligent. Definitely Ignis.

_'Yes?'_

It was like Luna's dogs all over again. The word wasn't spoken, nor was the word really in his head, but there was a feeling of being communicated with, and that this was what was meant. Ignis. "Y-You okay, Iggy?" Ignis the Wolf got up and trotted over to his feet, tail low, head high, before sitting back down, paws and back very straight. Yeah. Behind those gold eyes was definitely Ignis. No doubt. No doubt at all.

_'I'm fine now.'_

"Good. That's good." He was relieved, but it was only momentary before pain, lesser pain this time, bloomed inside him, and he jerked around to look. There was Gladio, leaning against Noct, unashamedly naked, just as he'd said. Heat rose inside him, despite himself, and he whipped himself back around, only to see Ignis gazing up at him with what Prompto could only describe as a knowing grin on his wolf face. "What?"

Ignis "said" nothing, only continued that penetrating stare, and that only made him embarrassment worse. Was he that obvious? Really? He covered his face with his hands, trying to squash both the embarrassment and the unbidden desire down. Was that part of the full moon? Did it make him want things more?

 _'No,'_ said the little voice inside him, _'That's all you.'_ Shit.

Something, Ignis, bumped against his leg, and he looked down to see those eyes still looking up at him, kind, and no longer teasing. _'It's all right,'_ he felt Ignis say, accompanied by that specific brand of comfort he'd come to recognize as Ignis. _'At least you know he wants you too.'_

"Thanks, but really not helping me here, Iggy."

It only felt like a couple minutes before he felt Noctis' hand on his shoulder, and he turned to face him, Ignis skittering out of the way of his clumsy feet. "Gladio says he's good to finish changing on is own. So...your turn?" The smile on his alpha's face was apologetic, and the hand slipped away as Prompto nodded, his body shaking as he too began to strip down. It was so embarrassing to take his clothes off in front of someone. He'd never done it before, and it seemed like Noctis was determined to stay beside him as he did it. The only consolation, he realized as he pulled off his shirt, was that the long stretch marks he'd had from childhood had faded away when he'd changed. All his old scars had. He idly wished that the virus had taken the freckles too, but they remained. If anything, they were more numerous now than they had been before.

When all his clothes were gone, and he trembled, feeling open and disgusting, Noctis' hand reappeared on his shoulder. "Do you need help?" He asked softly, and Prompto looked up at those intense blue eyes that were only focused on his own eyes, and not the rest of his imperfect body. Small blessings. "To start the change?"

"N-No," Prompto mumbled. "I'm okay." Noctis nodded, and Prompto began. It was like a switch inside him. Instead of on and off, it was human and wolf. The switch had been turned to _human_ all month, but now he reached out and flicked it to _wolf_.

The pain was instant, as it always was. His bones began to break and shift, organs began to move, fur began to grow, hands and feet changing to paws, a tail beginning to grow at the base of his spine. He could feel all of these processes beginning at once. He settled inside himself to weather the storm, just as he had once a month for the last year, when the pain lessened. Just like that, it became something bearable. Not painless, but bearable. He opened his eyes just a little and realized that it was just as Gladio had said. Noctis leaned against him, their foreheads touching, and he took away the pain, not all of it, but enough. Was that was alphas did for their packs? Or was this something uniquely Noct?

He closed his eyes again, and let himself fall into the lull of pain and something that he swore could only be Noctis' influence, and when he opened his eyes again the world was different. Familiar, but different. He looked at it through the eyes of a wolf, and he knew that for a while everything would be that different sort of feel. Not quite human, not quite animal either. They were something in between.

In one direction, Noctis was stripping his clothes off his body in a hurried fashion. _'Makes sense,'_ said the wolf inside him. The moon was already getting high in the sky. Noct would have to hurry, if he wasn't going to get forced into the change. In the other direction, he heard a yip, and he turned his head to see that Gladio the Wolf ( a huge white wolf, to his quiet surprise ) had playfully nipped at Ignis' hindquarters, and had, in return, gotten bopped in the nose. Ignis was not in a playful mood, Prompto could feel it, as though the moon and change stripped away all the barriers between them. They didn't really feel like distinct people anymore. Just different limbs of the same body. A proper pack that was still missing its head.

Prompto approached the two wolves, only to be broadsided by Gladio, who barked at him playfully, and Prompto instantly just rolled over, exposing his belly in a submissive way. Gladio's snout dug into the fur, and for a second, Prompto tensed, awaiting pain, but his packmate only nipped at the fur, still playful, and then sat back and sneezed. Internally, Prompto chuckled, both finding it funny, and relieved that his stomach was not torn to shreds.

He rolled back over and belly-crawled over to Ignis, who's expressions were as distinctive as a wolf as they were as a human. Ignis was unimpressed. He rolled over again, paws against his chest, eyes gazing up at Ignis hopefully, at least, as much as they could from his angle. A paw was placed on his snout, and Prompto got the message: _'Stop that.'_ He rolled back over, tail wagging, while Ignis continued to stare down at him in his unimpressed way. Before he could get up again, Gladio draped himself across Prompto's back, and he was stuck until he felt something click inside his head. Gladio must have felt it too, because he instantly got up.

Noctis was done changing. The great, fluffy black wolf was shaking himself down, and they felt like a complete pack, top to bottom. He followed Ignis, getting close, but not too close to their leader. Gladio settled on his other side, so close their fur brushed together. Noctis stilled, his eyes still their normal blue color, unlike the rest of them with wolf gold. He looked at each of them, gazing deep into their souls it felt like, as though making sure nothing had gone wrong in the change, and they were all still whole. When he appeared to be satisfied, he threw his head back and howled. They all followed suit. Prompto didn't even think about it. It was right. They were howling at the moon, both giving it thanks, and cursing it for its very existence. How could a howl mean both?

Everything flowed together after that. When he later tried to pry the memories apart, they all clung together like a giant ball of yarn that couldn't be untangled. They hunted. He was aware of that. Paws digging between plants, dirt, and rocks. Snout smelling things that he hadn't even been aware that could be scented.

There was a song. It didn't have a tune, or instruments, or even voices and words, but it was a song in his head all the same. They each played a part in it, melding together into something harmonious as they hunted. If a part got louder or softer he knew he was closer to or farther away from that part, Gladio, Ignis, or Noctis. Did it really matter? It felt like it didn't. They were all part of one. One group, one pack, one hunt. One. All of them were one. Each of them played a part.

They ate things. More than once. When he later asked what it was, Ignis admitted he'd set the hunt up for four rabbits, one for each of them. A simple hunt, for Prompto's first time. Prompto couldn't remember it being rabbit, he only remembered the blood and heat in his mouth, the feel of feel of success in his belly. Not hungry. He and his pack did not go hungry tonight.

Then it was over as quickly as it had started. He and his fellow pack members followed their alpha back to the front of the forest, and he realized he could see beginnings of sunrise in the distance. All night. They'd really been out all night.

Noctis began to change back, and they were all separate again, still limbs, still pack, but not melded together so tightly anymore. It felt like a loss, and he sunk to the ground with a huff. Gladio huffed too, and lied across his back again, a hum of happiness in his chest. Ignis licked his nose for comfort.

They went in reverse order. Noctis changed back first, dressed quickly, and then proclaimed that it was Prompto's turn. Changing from a wolf to a human was easier. It wasn't less painful, there was still the breaking and realigning of bones, skin, fur, and countless other processes which were extremely painful, but it was easier, as though he knew the human mold - knew how to fit into it better. Noctis' fingers running through his hair and eventually dancing on the points of his spine were comforting and distracting, and once he was too far along to look back, he left himself to that feeling. It took time, but he eventually stood up as a human, feeling raw, tired, and achy.

The first thing he saw with his human eyes was Noct's grin, and the next thing he felt were those thin yet strong arms thrown over his shoulders, that smile pressing into the crook of his neck. "You were amazing!" His alpha hissed into his skin. "I can't believe you've never hunted before." The hug tightened before Noct pulled back a little, his hands cupping his face. "Really. I mean it. Perfect. You completed our song. We'll never be able to hunt without you again." Those hands lingered against his face just a little too long, and then Noct was gone, urging Gladio to change back.

Prompto realized he was still naked. Was it possible for his entire body to blush? If it was, he was doing it. His hands covered his face in embarrassment. Noctis hadn't seemed to care at all. He supposed that made what Gladio had said true; wolves got to a point where nudity didn't matter. Noct had been a wolf his whole life. It probably meant even less to him than it did to others. Still, Prompto wasn't there yet, not by a long shot.

A paw pressed against his leg, and he uncovered his face to see Ignis at his side, gently placing his bundle of clothes by his feet. He smiled, almost managing a laugh. "Thanks, Iggy. You're still on the clothes train too, huh?"

 _'Always,'_ that knowing in his head huffed.

Prompto pulled his clothes back on, and then paced back and forth in the clearing while Gladio finished his change, and then Ignis began his. "Hey, you're starting to make me worried." Gladio commented at about the time when Prompto could look over and tell that Ignis was more human than wolf.

"Sorry."

"No," Gladio sighed, "Just. It's all right. Nothing's wrong. You know that? This is natural."

"I know," Prompto bit his lip. "I'll just feel better when we're all not in pain again. You know what I mean?"

Affection so deep that it overwhelmed Ignis' pain filled his chest for a second. "Come here." Without looking up, he walked toward Gladio's voice, and inked arms wrapped around him, totally enveloping him. Ugh. He was so warm, and he smelled so good somehow. They'd been out in the forest all night, but Gladio smelled like book ink and motor oil, and it was somehow extremely pleasing to his brain. He didn't hug too tightly either, just the perfect amount of pressure to be comforting, but not enough to be desperate. "You get used to it."

"I don't want to," he mumbled into his chest. "I don't ever want to get used to feeling my pack in pain."

A pause was followed by another wave of that affection, and then Gladio began to rub his back. If Prompto were a cat, he would have purred. "Then don't."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anyone who's wondering (probably no one): Prompto has never learned how to drive. He didn't have to in Gralea, he could walk or take the bus everywhere, and learning to drive cost money he didn't have. Ignis may complain that the other two don't drive well, but Prompto would really be the one crashing.

Somehow, Noctis convinced Ignis to take them all to IHOP for breakfast. Prompto thought that must have been a particularly great feat for him to have accomplished, if the way Gladio whistled low and impressed was any indication. "It's like shopping at Walmart for clothes," Gladio would later explain when Ignis was ahead of them as they made for the car. "Ignis just...yeah. IHOP is a greater evil to him."

By the time they left the IHOP, full of pancakes, bacon, and sausage, Prompto thought that he perhaps understood Ignis' dislike. "It's the carpet, isn't it?" He asked as he slipped into his car-seat.

"What carpet?" Noctis drawled from the back.

"The IHOP carpet, _duh_. It's old, faded, and really smells kinda gross, like you know it's been a while since that was properly deep cleaned. Really kinda threw the whole thing off. Even pancake smell didn't cover it." He didn't consider his own nose to be the greatest, even as a werewolf, but it had really been obvious.

"How perspective of you, Prompto." Ignis rewarded him with a smile, and his heart soared, as it always did when Ignis smiled. "That is indeed one of the top reasons I dislike this establishment."

The ride back to the mansion was nice. Slow, compared to Gladio's driving. Gladio sped, but Ignis drove comfortably at the speed limit, his hands never slipping from ten and two, always in perfect control. That, Prompto thought, was probably the reason that Ignis always drove. Not that Gladio or Noctis were really terrible drivers, but more that Ignis was just the superior one, and, perhaps a little bit that Noctis was right, and it was one of Ignis' "control things." Prompto wouldn't complain, he liked the even glide of the car when Ignis was driving.

The moment Ignis pulled the key out of the ignition, Noctis was talking about long naps and putting off til tomorrow what could be done today. "Gladio and I are supposed to be going house hunting today though," Prompto pouted back at his alpha even as Noctis undid his seat belt.

"It can wait. We were out all night. We ate, but no one slept. It's no good if Gladio falls asleep at the wheel and you crash into a tree."

Gladio was nodding his head, "It's true. I always forget how much the change and the hunt take out of you."

Prompto sighed. He _was_ tired, but, "Do people even let you look at houses on Saturday?"

"Yeah. Actually, I've found that it's the best day for open houses, since a lot of people are off on weekends."

Prompto was still pouting (He'd really been looking forward to this!) but he relented. "Okay, but we'd better go tomorrow!" He wanted to be useful. He wanted to help them find their new home. He couldn't do that if he just stayed here and napped all the time!

"Promise."

"We better!"

For all his pouting, actually getting out of the car was a chore. He really was more tired than he'd realized. Maybe, just maybe, Noctis had the right idea. Not that he was going to admit it aloud and encourage him. Nope. Definitely not doing that.

Walking back up to the front door was exactly like a reversal of the day before. Ignis was perfectly himself, awake, composed, didn't even seem tired, or like he'd been up all night, and then the other three of them lagged and grumbled, at least, until they got inside.

Just inside the door, apparently waiting for them, was Gladio's identical twin. Okay. Maybe not _identical_ , but they were close enough that Prompto found himself doing a double take, before words Ignis had told him early on caught up with him.  It had been that first day even, what felt like a lifetime ago, that Ignis had told him Gladio and his father's resemblance could be startling. "Could be" didn't cover it. The biggest difference, he realized, was that they didn't smell the same. Beside him, Gladio smelled of that intoxicating mixture of motor oil, book ink, and something uniquely _Gladio_. Gladio's father's strongest scent at this distance was the distinct scent of steel.

On either side of him, both Gladio and Ignis bowed their heads, in what Prompto realized an instant too late was a show of submission. Shit. He definitely should have done that too! It was also definitely too late now, Gladio's father (Clarus? Was that his name?) was staring directly at him, and Prompto just knew that he knew. A second later: "Argentum isn't a submissive, is he, Noctis?"

"No," Noctis said in a very formal tone that he didn't think he'd ever heard him use before. Prompto was not taking that as a good sign. "And you can tell Dad that he can't have him. He's _mine_ , Clarus. _Mine_." A small part of Prompto, the part that still thought and acted like a human, didn't like the way Noct said that he was his. He made it sound like he was a piece of jewelry or a favorite toy. A far larger part of his brain liked it, liked the way Noctis wouldn't even let someone else think they didn't belong together, the way he knew just from the word that if anyone came and challenged it, Noctis would fight for him. Prompto was also sure Noctis would win. The wolf in him liked it, that possessiveness.

"Stand down, Noctis. We're not going to take him from you. I am here to talk to him though."

"About what?" That was Gladio, his voice filled with concern. "Is everything okay?"

Clarus' face softened when he looked at Gladio. Like a father, Prompto realized. This was the softness a father felt for their child. He'd never seen that sort of look on his own father's face, the few times he'd spent more than a few minutes with him, but then again, he'd never been very important to his parents. To his parents, he'd just been a mistake that had eventually gone away. Here... Precious, Ignis had said. To werewolves, children were precious. He saw that word in Clarus' face now. "I wish I could tell you everything is fine, but, it's not."

Clarus sighed sadly before he launched into his explanation. "Cor and a few of his unit have been searching in Gralea on and off for the last two weeks. They started at the warehouse Cor found you in, Argentum."

"Um. Prompto is fine," he barely breathed the words out, but he knew Clarus would hear them. He did, and he smiled. Prompto noticed that Gladio had his father's smile.

"Prompto then. The wolf that had you has eluded us. They tracked his scent from the warehouse to the outskirts of the city, but his scent disappeared into the river and the trail went cold."

"But that's good," Gladio said quickly, perhaps feeling the way that Prompto's heart was racing in his chest or seeing that his face was pale. "That means he drowned. He's _dead_ at the bottom of that river."

"Perhaps," Clarus said in a way that even Prompto knew it wasn't something he believed. "But any wolf crazy enough to turn a human with omega markings isn't going to be reasonable enough to end themselves. I don't believe that we should trust that he's truly gone. He might be dead, he might also be gone from the country, but we can't be sure. Please be careful going forward."

"We'll protect him."

"We absolutely will."

"Thank you for informing us."

At their words, the panic that had been starting to overtake him quelled a little, and Prompto found that he could breathe again. He wasn't alone in this. He had a pack. His pack cared about him, even if he couldn't understand why. He truly believed that they would protect him, that they could protect him, from Ardyn. Together. Together they were stronger. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Is there anything else you needed, Clarus? We've just returned from our hunt, and we're tired."

"I'll let you go in a moment, Noctis."

Prompto could practically feel Noct biting back a sigh. "What else then?"

"Nothing official, but it has been a while since I've seen my son. I've missed him, you know, since you took him for your pack."

"You have his phone number," Noctis quipped, but there was no heat in his words, in fact, he sounded rather amused, and his next questions proved it. "You want father-son bonding time? You want a hug? I'd allow both. Anytime."

Clarus smiled a wolfy sort of grin, and Prompto internally relaxed a bit more. Good. No fighting. "Both would be welcome, but I was thinking more the latter right now." At his side, Ignis lightly tugged at his shirt sleeve, and the three of them made their way to the staircase. Prompto tried not to eavesdrop, but he did hear Clarus say "Your sister misses you too, you know" before they were out of earshot.

About halfway down the hall, Prompto realized that he was wringing his hands together nervously. He really did believe that his pack would protect him, but the news that Ardyn had escaped, one way or the other, was still concerning, and made his guts twist unpleasantly in and out of knots. "You okay?" It almost took walking right into Noct's shoulder for him to realize that his alpha had stopped walking to look at him.

Prompto nodded his head, eyes toward the ground. "Yeah."

"Don't lie to me," came Noctis' quiet growl in return.

Whoops. He knew better than that. It wasn't even the first time Noctis caught him lying and he got told. It probably wouldn't be the last time a human-ish lie just slipped out either. He could only hope that Noctis would continue to not get too angry. He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I _will_ be okay. Probably after sleeping."

He dared a glance up at Noct's face, and he curtly nodded back at him. "Better. Anything else?"

"Uh...I have questions?"

At that Noct's lips quirked up into a half smirk. "Always with the questions."

"Sorry," he whispered.

"Don't be. Amusing. Not annoying. Go on. Ask away."

Prompto took in a deep breath before launching into the question that burned the most. "Why was Gladio so sure that he'd drowned, just because he used the river to mask his scent?"

"Oh shit. That's actually a really important question that you need to know the answer to. So. Uh. Yeah. You ever notice the lack of swimming pools here?"

Prompto narrowed his eyes trying to think about it. "...No?" To be honest, Prompto had never given it much thought. It also wasn't like he'd spent time wandering the entire mansion. Even if he had thought about it, he probably would assumed the pool was in another part of the building, and just not the west wing. Or maybe he just wouldn't have even thought to think about pools. After all, it wasn't like every house he'd ever been in had a pool. Hell, most of the houses he'd been in didn't, even if most of the houses he'd been in also weren't mansions.

"No? Huh. Well. Anyway. No swimming pools for werewolves. We sink."

"We...sink?" That sounded so weird.

"Quite so," Ignis put in. "Our muscle density and lack of fat makes it impossible for us to swim or stay afloat. We simply sink to the bottom of any body of water we're in, and thus we drown. Drowning is the leading method of suicide for werewolves, as there's little else other than a bullet to the head that works with as much efficiency. It's also why we have showers here, and not tubs. I...apologize if you find yourself missing baths."

Prompto shrugged. "Didn't really think about it, to be honest."

"And your other questions?"

Right. "Uh...Omega markings?" He felt that was a self explanatory question. Yeah. What did that mean?

"Ah," Ignis took the lead with this one. "He wasn't talking about physical markings. You see, humans with the potential to be omega wolves are not that rare. Most people encounter them. People with charisma, genuinely kind, who listen, and are able to comfort someone with just a few words. Most people encounter at least a few such people in their lives, though such people are often also strong willed, and they tend to either be very popular, or very alone. Those are the markings for an omega. To a human it's just a person, a little different of a person, but nothing out of the ordinary. For a wolf? The need to protect such a person is just as strong as it would be for one of your own pack. They're very desirable human mates. For example Gladio's mother was one such person." Ignis paused. "If you feel that strongly about protecting a person, you obviously wouldn't change them. You wouldn't even consider inflicting that sort of pain upon them. Even if they asked. It would be wrong. That's why omegas are so rare. For a wolf to change a potential omega, the person must already be immediately dying and changing them is the only way to save them, or they have to be insane enough to ignore every instinct screaming at them to protect them from harm."

Insane enough. Like there was a certain level of crazy that Ardyn had needed to reach in order to harm him. It didn't sit right in Prompto's gut and he squirmed a little. "Would he do it again?"

"Change an omega?" Prompto nodded. "If he did it for sport? Perhaps not, but if he changed you to help him feel better? Absolutely."

Prompto squirmed more. "I hope Gladio's right. I hope he's at the bottom of that river."

"We all do, Prom." Noct's voice reached his ears soft and vulnerable, and when he looked up at his eyes, they looked like they were on the verge of tears. "But I'm not sorry you're here with us either."

Yes. Vulnerable was the words for Noct's face, and Prompto took the two steps it took to close the distance between them, wrapped his arms around Noct's shoulders, and let the full force of comfort he knew he was capable of wash over him. "I'm happy I found you all too." Against him, Noctis' shoulder shook like he was crying, but when he pulled back, those blue eyes were completely dry. "Bedtime?" He asked hopefully.

"Yeah."

They parted ways to head to separate bedrooms. He knew Noct wanted them all to sleep in his giant bed, and Prompto knew he'd end up there, but he wanted to shower, and he wanted to change. He smelled like wilderness and dirt from their hunt. Ignis would be the same, wanting to be clean before he slept. They could fall asleep tangled up together afterward. The bed would still be there, even if he knew Noctis would pout a bit for having to wait.

He showered quickly, using the strawberry scented shampoo Ignis had pulled out from somewhere for him. It was a little artificial smelling, but he liked it all the same, and he felt better, both inside and out by the time he ran back to his room to get into bed clothes.

He'd just finished pulling his shirt over his head when there was a soft knock at the door. Behind it he found Gladio. "Is something wrong?" It looked like it, his shoulders were sunk, his eyebrows turned upward in worry. "Did your father say something else to you?"

"No." The single word was spoken softly, but Prompto could feel the weight behind it. It was truth, even if he couldn't smell it, but there was more to it than just one word.

"Then tell me what's wrong?"

Gladio didn't respond with words, but he reached out, those large, yet gentle fingers caressed the side of his face, the fingertips ending up brushing along his hairline. As full of sorrow as his face was, there was also desire behind it. That desire was something they shared. "You can," he whispered, his face, burning as he let his eyes slide down to Gladio's shoes.

"Are you...sure?"

"Yeah." He still didn't know what he wanted in the long run, but he knew what he wanted right now. Talk about it, he could practically hear Ignis saying in his head. Communicate. He didn't want to. Not yet. He wanted to feel and touch. He wanted to go into the next room and sleep beside his entire pack in his alpha's bed. But right now he wanted Gladio to- "Kiss me?"

Gladio didn't ask again. It wasn't much, nothing like the movies portrayed, full of passion, and tongues, and moans. Gladio was chaste, a simple pressing of lips together. It was still enough to send that electricity through him like it was the first day all over again, and he leaned into it, his fingers curling into Gladio's shirt. Right. This was right. His every sense screamed it at him, just as they screamed at him that it was too soon when Gladio pulled back.

An awkward silence followed, finally broken when Gladio said, his voice low, husky, and serious, "I will never let that man get near you again."

To Prompto, that was as good as saying 'I love you.'


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember a few chapters ago when I said I might start writing extra scenes and posting them in a different story? Well. I started doing that. I've only got one so far, but I'm going to try to write more of them, and try to post them at about the time they become relevant to the story.
> 
> If you want to read it, [here is a link to Summer Home](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14579631/chapters/33691479). The first chapter is about Ignis and Gladio's past, which really becomes relevant this chapter.
> 
> In the meantime, enjoy this week's update!

Morning felt weird. It had been a while since they'd all fallen asleep together at night, and waking up not alone in the morning felt odd. Not bad. Despite the fact that Ignis was already up, having Gladio and Noctis on either side of him when he awoke from a deep sleep was both comforting and fulfilling. He only wished Ignis would stay so they could be complete when he woke.

"You getting up?"

"Yeah," Prompto whispered, even though he knew he could yell, scream, and clang pans together, and Noctis still probably wouldn't wake up.

"Cool. Let me help you get out of Noct's death grip."

"That...would be helpful." He still hadn't mastered the art of wiggling out of Noct's hold. It wasn't even that Noctis was physically stronger than him, it was that he was more stubborn, even in his sleep. It was like he was an octopus with eight arms instead of two arms and two legs he actually had. Ignis may have told him that Noctis was asexual, but that definitely didn't mean he wasn't physically needy in every other way Prompto could imagine. Even with Gladio's help it took over a minute to get his grip loose enough that Prompto could wiggle his way out, and after that he tried to latch onto Gladio, who'd had to get up and out of his way.

"Have you ever thought that Noct needs like...a giant teddy bear? Like the biggest teddy bear ever?"

Gladio laughed as he slipped off the edge of the mattress himself, fully away from Noct's searching hands. "I don't think it's the same to him. Not really about the need to hold something, but what he's holding. Or so Iggy told me once."

Prompto let one side of his mouth slip up into a lopsided grin as he glanced back down at Noct's peacefully sleeping form. "Aww, that makes it sounds like he loves us."

When he looked back up Gladio was grinning, "That's one thing you never need to doubt; there's _nothing_ Noct loves more than his pack. We argue sometimes, but Noct would die for us without a second thought."

"You're being sappy. Shut up," came Noct's groggy and unhappy voice from the bed covers, and that heavy feeling that Prompto knew was Noctis beginning to wake up filled his chest.

"Oh look," Gladio snarked, "Sleeping Beauty lives." Personally, Prompto wouldn't go so far as to say Noct was alive. Well, yes, he was breathing, but he definitely wasn't truly awake yet. His eyes weren't even open, and his body only curled more into the blankets pooled around him with a lack of people to latch onto. As though to prove his point, Noctis made a groaning noise that sounded more like a cliche movie zombie than a grumpy, sleepy, werewolf. "Should I tell Iggy you're awake?"

"No."

"You do know you have to get up at some point, right?" Those intense eyes opened just enough to shoot a scathing glare in Gladio's direction before the blankets were pulled up and over Noct's head, effectively shutting off any and all communication.

Gladio snorted, shaking his head in an amused way. "Come on. I'm sure Iggy's already cooking."

"I gotta get dressed."

"It can wait."

"Nah, I got a routine, see? Clothes, then breakfast, then brush teeth and hair, and...whatever else I have planned."

Large, warm fingers found their way deep into his hair and rubbed vigorously. "Don't let me stop you. And hey," Prompto looked up just in time to see the smirk he was getting used to seeing on Gladio's face before the taller man leaned down and pressed their lips together, brief and chaste. Wholly satisfying, yet not enough at the same time, just like the night before. "I'm looking forward to spending time alone with you."

Once breakfast had been consumed, Gladio and Prompto made their way out. Even though he'd just been in it the day before, the car still felt weird, and Prompto was both disappointed and glad that Gladio hadn't tried to go for the motorcycle. He wasn't sure he was ready for that much noise and that much intimacy yet. The car was weird, but at least it was quiet and comfortable.

Gladio turned on music again, that odd mix of older rock with modern pop that made more sense now that he knew Gladio at least a _little_ better. Prompto watched the suburbia go by yet again as several songs went by with it, but by the time they passed the last Chipotle he was wondering, "Where exactly are we going today?"

"Lestallum," came the initial simple answer, followed by, "Iggy's found a couple nice places out there in his search, and, you know, it's a city, but not a _huge_ city."

Prompto had never been to Lestallum, but, "Isn't Lestallum really hot?" Prompto didn't imagine that werewolves and hot went together very well. They were warmer than the average person already, to add even more heat to that sounded like a bad idea.

"Iris thinks it'd be okay, and it's not been terrible when I've gone out to visit her. Just gotta have air conditioning for when it gets really bad."

Iris...Iris...where had he heard that name before? He knew he'd definitely heard it before, not from Gladio's mouth but from, Iggy's. "Wait. Isn't Iris your sister?" That was it. He was sure it was. Clarus had two children, Gladio and Iris.

Gladio grinned. "The one and only."

"Is she a werewolf too?"

"Nah. It wasn't for her. She decided to move out to Lestallum with her friend Talcott when she reached eighteen. They took over a hotel in town. Run it like a dream."

"Sounds amazing." How old was Iris? Not that old. Probably his age, maybe just a _little_ older. To already be the co-owner of a hotel was really impressive. Most people were still in school or working for McDonald's at that age.

"She is." Prompto smiled at the fond look and feelings of intense warmth in his chest. Gladio loved his sister. Actually, love didn't seem like a strong enough word for the feelings that danced inside him. He wasn't sure there was a word strong enough for it. Even adore seemed too weak.

"Are we going to visit her?"

"We...could." Gladio bit his lip in a manner that reminded Prompto more of himself than of Gladio. Shy. That was the look. Gladio looked shy. Prompto hadn't realized he could be shy. He was much more of a confident person, even more than Noctis was. It was interesting, to see what could make him turn bashful. "I don't want to force you or anything."

Prompto shook his head. "Dude, no way. She's your sister, right? She'll murder you if you don't drop by." He didn't have any siblings, but that's how they were in all the shows on television, at least the siblings that weren't secretly evil.

Gladio laughed, loud and full of mirth, and Prompto's heart raced in his chest. That was more like what Gladio should look like. Grinning, eyes shut, and happy. "That's true, I'd never live to tell the tale."

Lestallum turned out to not be that far of a drive. He'd expected it to take half the day just to get within distance of it, but Gladio's driving habits (which the more he thought about it, were about what Ignis had described, very fast, and they were lucky to not be pulled over by a cop) they made it to the sleepy little city in about two hours. Actually, Prompto wasn't sure he'd really call it a city, compared to Gralea, which had huge, tall buildings, and constipated streets. This was more of a large town with a bunch of tourists running to and fro.

"You fit right in," Gladio teased him after they saw their fourth person carrying a camera.

"Shut up!" His face burned red, but a laugh slipped out with the words too. It was kind of true. The tourists running around with cameras strapped around their necks was a common sort of thing in an area like this. "I'm not here to take pictures of the sites!"

Gladio grinned, but then his face melted into something more fond. "You could though. It's been a long time since Iggy and Noct have come out this way. I'm sure they'd like the pictures."

Oh. Well. When he put it like that... "Maybe later." He fiddled with his strap for a second before he added, "Neither one of them really goes out a lot, do they?"

"Not so much. Iggy used to before..." His voice trailed off a little, as though there was something he wanted to add to that statement, but then he just said, "And Noct's never really been the traveling sort, if he could help it."

He wanted to ask. What had Gladio been going to say? Before what? He wanted to know, but he also didn't want to pry. He was starting to figure out that werewolves didn't really get a lot of privacy. At the very least, everything about them was laid bare to their alpha. Gladio hadn't shared, and that meant he didn't want to. Prompto had to respect what little privacy he had. Even if he didn't want to.

They walked for several blocks, with Prompto taking pictures the entire way. It felt good, to have a camera in his hands again, and it felt even better to be taking pictures of sites and people as they walked by. This place was different than any place Prompto thought he'd ever been. Everyone waved at you, like you were old friends crossing on the street. In Gralea, even your friends didn't look you in the eye, but here, everyone held their head up high. He could get used to that.

"Here we are, The Leville."

"Woah! Your sister _owns_ this place?!" It wasn't the biggest place, he'd seen a lot of chain hotels that were bigger, but it was nice, clean looking, and it paid homage to architecture of older parts of town. The doors were even open in a welcoming gesture, and the stairs were surrounded by thriving potted plants that screamed of how well the place was taken care of. If he were staying in town, he'd want to stay at a place like this. It was probably more expensive than other places, but the comfort and hospitality would surely be worth it.

"Joint owns, but yeah."

"It's amazing."

"Gladdy!" Prompto looked up to see a woman leaning over the railing of the balcony, waving enthusiastically. She had to be Iris. Her hair was that same rich brown, eyes the same bright amber, and though they didn't share the same face, there was something along the eyes and jawline that gave away the family resemblance. Without thinking, Prompto raised the camera and snapped a picture of her smiling face. "I'll be down in a second!" She disappeared from the balcony, and he and Gladio made their way inside. Within seconds he could hear the clip clap of her shoes again the tile of the stairs as she ran down them.

"It's so good to see you!" Iris exclaimed as she all but ran into Gladio's arms, hugging him tightly. "You didn't tell me you'd be stopping by!"

"I...honestly wasn't sure we would be." Gladio smiled down at Iris' head, and she grinned back up at him as she pulled back from the hug. Prompto couldn't imagine how he would have lived with himself if he'd kept these two apart. It was clear that they loved each other very much. He would have felt like such an asshole to not let Gladio come see her. He kind of felt like an asshole just standing here watching it.

"Are Ignis and Noct here too?" Gladio shook his head, and Iris' lip came out in the smallest of pouts. Prompto bit back a laugh. It was really kind of funny to watch a full grown woman pull out the expression of a teenager. Prompto suspected it was an expression she wore just for her brother. "Why not?"

"Prompto and I are territory hunting. Noct and Iggy are at home."

"Aww, so it's _not_ a social visit."

"Not today," Gladio said, reaching out and ruffling her hair. "Sorry, kiddo."

That teenager pout returned, but was replaced quickly by a smile as she turned away from her brother and the full force of her smile hit Prompto. "Are you hungry, Prompto?" Ah yes, return of the "somehow this person knows who I am" awkwardness. He supposed it only made sense. If Iris and her brother were close, naturally he might have mentioned him to her, but still. Weird, and not just a little awkward. Not only that, but she didn't even wait for him to actually answer the question before she went on, "Of course you are. Gladdy. Go get lunch. We'll eat together, and then you go do your house hunting thing."

Prompto wasn't really sure he wanted to be left alone with her, but Gladio shrugged his shoulders easily enough and went right on back out the door. Iris was beside him in a second, her arms wrapping around one of his own, and her head leaning against his shoulder. A familiar feeling filled him, and he looked down at her, her warm eyes twinkling. Comfort, not like the comfort that Ignis or Noctis filled him with from time to time, but more like, "Are you an omega? Human. Omega human? Is that what you'd call it?"

She giggled, the sound girlish and gay, but she nodded, drawing back from him just a little. "Yeah. Mom was too." He remembered that, from yesterday. Ignis had said so, but he hadn't mentioned Iris. "That's why I had to move away. I love my family, and not just my dad and Gladdy, but the whole pack. I love them, but they're smothering. When you're...like us," she shrugged, "They want to protect you from everything. Even yourself. I didn't want that. I wanted to be free, and make my own mistakes, so I took Talcott and we came here." She shook her head. "Dad didn't approve, but Noct and Ignis did. I was surprised. Ignis and Gladdy had already broken up by then. I thought they'd turn their backs on me for sure, but they didn't."

Wait. "What did you say?"

"They helped me move here?"

"No. Before that. Iggy and Gladio dated?" The words were like a ton of bricks to the chest, falling and floating at the same time. They'd _dated_.

Iris paled, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. "You didn't know?" Prompto shook his head, feeling as pale as she looked. "Oh no! I'm so sorry! Uh. Yeah..." She bit her lip. "I...maybe you should ask my brother? I don't know what or how much I should tell you. Better to get it from the horse's mouth? Right?"

"Yeah...uh...okay?" He didn't really know what he should say, to be honest. When he thought about it, they looked good together. Gladio had his bulk and muscles, and was just so _tall_. Ignis was tall too, but short enough that Prompto imagined he'd fit perfectly under Gladio's chin when they embraced, and it had always been obvious to him that they shared a special sort of bond. What if--

"Hey!" Iris' voice brought Prompto out of his own head. "Don't start going down that rabbit hole, okay? Gladdy _really_ likes you. He won't shut up about you, actually." Her smile was both bright and soft, and she slid their hands together. Practice. She'd had a lot of practice dealing with wolves. She'd grown up among them, he reminded himself. "And Gladdy broke up with Ignis over ten years ago. They're not getting back together. He wants to be with you." Her smiled brightened up so much that her eyes almost crinkled closed with it. "And it looks like you want to be with him too."

"Yeah..." he breathed out, his voice hoarse against his throat. "I do want that." He hadn't actually said it to anyone yet, had he? They hadn't spent a lot of time together yet, but he liked Gladio. A lot. He was pretty sure he hadn't even fully admitted it to himself, despite the fact that they'd kissed twice now. There was a difference. The words made a difference in his heart.

In his pocket his phone buzzed not once, but twice, and when he fished it out, he had texts from both Gladio and Noctis, both of them asking if he was all right.

He wasn't, but he would be eventually. When he calmed down. That was what he told them.

"Hey," Iris said as he put the phone back in his pocket, her fingers laced behind her back. "Gladdy's gonna still be a bit getting food. I mean, it _is_ lunchtime, and that means all the ladies from the power plant are out. Why don't we go take a walk to the overlook? I promise that it's the best view in a hundred miles."

Prompto almost said no, but then he remembered the camera in his hands, and Ignis and Noctis at home. He remembered how lonely he'd felt when Noct had been gone just a couple days ago. "Have Noct and Iggy ever seen the view from the overlook?"

Iris shook her head. "Maybe Ignis, but not in a long time."

Prompto nodded, glancing down at his camera. A picture wasn't much, but it was something he could do. "Let's go."


	14. Chapter 14

The view from the overlook was amazing. The vastness of the valley below coupled with the sunlight peeking out just perfectly beyond the distant treeline. Right in the middle of the scene was the meteor. They had learned about it in school, the meteor that had fallen to earth eighty years beforehand. There had been a huge panic about its coming and then the equally huge shock about what little damage it had done. A meteor that size should have caused catastrophic damage to not only the immediate area, but to the world as a whole over the years. Instead it had fallen like a scoop of ice cream; a dull thud, and it simply stuck there forevermore.

"Noct told me once that it was the fae," Iris says, as though reading his thoughts. "The fae used a great deal of power to stop the tragedy."

"Yeah?" Prompto supposed that would make sense. There really was just no way that it had happened on its own like that.

Iris nodded. "Yeah. He said Luna was the one who convinced them to do it. Most fae really aren't concerned with what happens here. They have their pocket dimension, or whatever it is, but Luna convinced them that letting the meteor destroy a ton of land and people would be bad for us. It was apparently a pretty big deal, because she's so young for a powerful fae, especially at the time."

"Luna's really amazing." Prompto hadn't doubted it before either. She was petite in size, but the confident way she walked gave away that she was no weakling. It must be hard, he thought, to be kind _and_ powerful.

"She really is," Iris said as she leaned over the side of the railing. "She and Noct would have really been a power couple. Well. If Noct had any motivation that is."

"When did you meet Noct? I mean, you grew up in the pack, right? So...Do you even remember?" She'd probably been a baby when they'd first met, Gladio too, now that he thought about it. That must be a weird thing, to be eternally young, so everyone that eventually ages around you was someone you knew when they were first born. Yeah. Totally weird. He wondered if you ever got used to it. He supposed that if he lived long enough, he'd find out for himself.

"I don't remember actually meeting him, but Noct was our babysitter growing up; Mine and Gladdy's. He was always amazing. You know, a good mix of fun and rules. Like, he let us have ice cream, but we had to go to bed on time. That sort of thing."

"What about Iggy?" Even just saying his name caused a pang of anxiety in his chest. Right. Huge reminder right there; Ignis and Gladio had dated. The information was still too new to properly process. That didn't stop him from being curious.

"I first remember really seeing Ignis when I was four or five. Noct was babysitting one night, and Ignis came with him, working on something at the table. I honestly probably wouldn't remember it at all, except Gladdy got in trouble for bugging him."

"Really? What kind of trouble? Time out? Spanking?"

"Candy Land," Iris responded with a dead serious expression. "Gladdy hates Candy Land." The answer was so surprising that Prompto threw his head back and laughed. How adorable was that? And it was such a Noct answer to something. Playing Candy Land was his _punishment_.

Iris laughed with him, her hands clinging to the railing as she leaned back. When their laughter died down she smiled widely, and Prompto felt like it was approval. He had Iris' approval. It felt good. "You ready to head back?"

"Let me get a couple more shots." She did, patiently waiting while Prompto wandered from one side of the railing to the other, making sure he got as many of the meteor's good sides as possible. "Okay. Let's go."

On the way back, Iris continued to point out every little thing they walked by, which wasn't so much annoying as it was informative. They were supposed to be gathering information, right? If they ended up moving out here, an idea that Prompto was warming up to more and more, he'd need to know as much about the area as possible. Every bit of information she shared was filed away for later. Hopefully, he'd actually remember.

Gladio was waiting for them when they returned to the Leville's lobby, pacing nervously while the poor man behind the counter looked at a loss for what to do. "We're back!" Not that Gladio needed to hear the words. He'd probably known they were coming before they'd turned the corner.

"Hey," the pacing stopped instantly, and Prompto found himself more aware than usual that he and Gladio had a rather large size difference as he closed the gap between them. Why did his shoulders have to be so wide? Not to say that Prompto didn't like them, but they also could certainly be intimidating... "Are you guys okay?"

"I said I would be, yeah?"

"Yeah..." Gladio said with a frown, "But you can lie over a text or phone call. You can't blame me for being a bit worried."

Prompto sighed, letting his head hang a bit. Worried. The last thing he wanted to do was to make his pack, his friends, quickly becoming his family, worry about him. "I'm fine, promise, but we kind of need to talk about something, after lunch."

"He's not breaking up with you, double promise," Iris added helpfully as she dug into the bags of food that Gladio had brought with him.

"We're not even really dating, Iris." Gladio was frowning, and it made Prompto frown too. Nope. No. He didn't like that expression, frowning, somehow sad and pained at the same time, yet that tone was so protective that it bordered on _defensive_.

"We...could be?"

For a second, it seemed like everyone else in the room disappeared. When Gladio's eyes met his, Prompto knew, just for that second, he was the only person that existed to Gladio. "We could be?"

Prompto nodded, his eyes drifting downwards. "I like titles. I like knowing where we stand," and really, that wasn't just for Gladio, that was for everyone. He wanted to know what was what, where the lines in the sand were. He needed the definition in his life, so he didn't put things where they didn't belong, so he didn't go too far.

Gladio's large hands reached out and took one of his own in them. A minute before the size difference had been intimidating, but now it was comforting and warm. "Boyfriend sounds like the perfect title to me."

Could hearts stutter? Because Prompto was pretty sure his heart had just stuttered. "Really? Do you really? Mean it?"

Gladio grinned. "Absolutely."

He couldn't help but lower his head to try and hide the grin that had split across his head. "It sounds perfect to me too."

"Guys," came Iris' voice like a pin to pop the bubble that had formed around the two of them. "I love mushy romance as much as the next girl, but I can't find the forks."

They left The Leville about half an hour later, with full belly's and threats from Iris about coming to visit again soon. Prompto felt lighter than air, with his heart fuller than his stomach. Gladio had said he wanted him to be his boyfriend, and he in return hadn't freaked out and said no. He couldn't wait until he got home and he could tell Noctis and Ig...nis. Ah. Yes. There it was. That influx of panic inside of him, and suddenly he was as heavy as lead.

"What's wrong? Lunch not agreeing with you?"

"No! I really liked the spiciness." Not a lie. It had been great. He wondered if Ignis could make a curry that spicy, but, while his thoughts were still on _Ignis_. "I...just remembered that while you were gone Iris told me that you and Iggy used to date. Not like, on purpose, but it came up in conversation."

"Oh." Gladio stopped short, and Prompto definitely took that as a bad sign. He shouldn't have said anything. Definitely should have just left it alone. It wasn't _that_ important, right? "You know we aren't dating now, right?" There was an edge of panic in his voice that surprised Prompto.

"I know," he said with a nod. "Iris said you broke up a long time ago." More than a decade ago, she'd said. He would have only been fifteen or sixteen then. Not even legal to be dating Gladio. How could he hold it against Gladio back then, even if they had known each other? He would have been a kid compared to him. Gladio was allowed to have other people in his life, and yet, this was Ignis they were talking about, and that somehow made it mean more.

"And he's not gonna try to break us up either. Iggy's not like that."

"I...know." He did. He really did. He couldn't imagine Ignis trying to break them up. Ignis was more likely to demand the right to make their wedding cake, (Wedding cake. Wedding. He shoved the thought way back down in the depths of his soul, where it couldn't make him blush.) than the type to purposely try and sabotage them.

"Then what made you panic so much bout it? I wasn't trying to _hide_ it, it's just not something you really randomly bring up either." Prompto couldn't imagine that. Sure. Yeah. Sitting at the kitchen table and all of a sudden out of nowhere declaring that they'd dated before, and that wasn't gonna be weird, was it? No. Definitely not normal dinner conversation material.

"I..." Prompto took in a deep breath and bit down on the corner of his mouth while he tried to think about exactly how to put it. He could just give him the full range his emotions, but they were a confused swirl of different things that would probably just make things worse. He'd have to use his words. "Ignis is amazing."

"He is," there was no hesitation in Gladio's response. "Ignis is an amazing man."

That. That right there gave him exactly what he needed. "So how am _I_ supposed to compare with _Ignis_?" He couldn't cook. He could barely make macaroni and cheese from a box. He could tidy up, but he couldn't do research, and perfectly pressed laundry, and the ten thousand other things Ignis could do without breaking a sweat. He was just Prompto. How was he supposed to compare to someone who was almost, literally, perfect?

He turned, looking at Gladio's face, desperately trying to find the answer in his eyes, nose, chin, or cheekbones. It was his lips that were turned down into a frown that eventually gave him his unexpected answer. "You're not."

His heart felt like it had stuttered again, but not in the good way this time. "I--"

"No. Prompto. Let me finish." Gladio sighed. "I'm not looking for another Ignis. I don't look at you and ask myself how you could be more like Ignis. I don't want you to be more like Ignis. I want you to be more like Prompto. I didn't ask Ignis to be my boyfriend today. I asked Prompto. Right?"

"Yeah, but--"

"No buts. I know we still don't know each other really well, but I know I like you, and I know I want you. Okay? Can't that be enough for now?"

Prompto breathed in for the first time in what felt like several minutes, the oxygen invading his limbs and reminding him that he was alive. He still wasn't sure he was totally convinced, but, "Okay."

Lips pressed gently against his forehead and something small, soft, and warm wiggled inside his gut. "You...could do that again."

Gladio did, accompanied by a chuckle so soft and affectionate that the thing in his gut grew and wiggled even more. "I'll tell you not to compare yourself with Iggy as many times as you need me to," he said as he pulled back. "I know the feeling; that feeling that you're not good enough."

"You are though," Prompto whispered. "You're definitely good enough."

Gladio held out a hand for Prompto to take. He did, their fingers slowly intertwining before Gladio gave it a light squeeze. "And so are you."

They began walking again, and Prompto felt like time slowed, and people stared at them, and he found that he didn't care. He was walking hand and hand with his new boyfriend, who said that he was good enough for him. His emotions were like a roller coaster, up and down, but he hoped that this time he could stay on the high for a while.

In the end, it was too much to ask for. It wasn't so much that the rest of the day was unpleasant, but it wasn't what he'd hoped for. He'd hoped that they'd find a house that suited them quickly, that he'd take a lot of pictures, and they'd return home fairly certain that they'd found what they needed, but this wasn't at all what they'd found at the end of their walk.

The realtor that met them was a short and rather put out looking man, who smelled overwhelmingly of shoe shine and patchouli oil. It combination made Prompto want to sneeze, and the way Gladio's jaw set on his face made him feel that he wasn't the only one who felt that way about it. Still, Gladio smiled, shook his hand, and introduced them both. "We're a household of four, but really, we need at least enough room for six."

"Yes," the realtor said with a sort of slide to his voice that made Prompto bristle just hearing it. ' _Judgement_ ,' the wolf inside him said. That was the sound of being judged. "Your secretary told me all of that on the phone."

"Ignis," Gladio started to say as soon as the rage inside Prompto flared up, "Is _not_ our secretary."

Gladio's tone had held warning in it, but if the realtor was bothered, he didn't show it. "Of course not. My apologies for the mistake."

' _He doesn't sound sorry at all_ ,' the wolf inside him growled. ' _We'll show him. He'll be much more sincere when our teeth are at his throat._ '

Gladio's hand firmly on his shoulder brought him back to reality, and Prompto internally balked at how genuinely vicious that thought inside his had really been. What was even more terrifying was how much he'd agreed with it, how much he'd really wanted to knock the man down and put his teeth to his throat until he properly apologized for insulting their packmate. "Sorry," he squeaked out, the anger running out of him like water out of a faucet.

"Don't be," Gladio grumbled. "I want to rip out his throat too. Just don't actually do it."

On top of insulting, the realtor was incompetent, even to Prompto's untrained eye. He spent exactly an hour showing them four different houses all on the same cramped street. The largest of them was three bedroom, one and a half bath, and, according to Gladio, the _low_ end of the price range Ignis had suggested to the realtor when he'd called on Wednesday. "Which is really odd," Gladio said with a frown when they made their way back to the car. "You'd think he'd want to make _more_ money."

"You handled him really well though," Prompto said as he clicked the seat belt into place, and turned on his camera to flip through the pictures. "I had no idea you were so good with people." Prompto himself always stood to the back and cowered inside, or, as he had with the realtor, glowered and made clipped, barely held back insults and sounds of frustration. Gladio on the other hand was all smiles and, despite the subtle insult to Ignis, was easy going, and had made the realtor come out of his shell, or, at least, as much as he was able to. It seemed more like the sort of thing that an omega should be able to do, and Prompto couldn't help but be a little jealous.

"I like people," Gladio said with a shrug. "And Dad says I've always been a bit charismatic, when I wanna be. Guy was an asshole, but he wasn't gonna do us any good if he just clammed up."

"Not that he was really much help anyway."

"Yeah," Gladio admitted with a soft sigh. "You get a bad egg every now and then, and he was probably miffed enough that we pushed off the meeting a day. If we look in Lestallum again, Iggy'll make sure to get someone different. He never makes the same mistake twice."

"I bet Iggy doesn't like to admit he makes mistakes at all."

Gladio laughed, but he shook his head. "Actually it's the opposite. Sure, he _is_ a perfectionist, no doubt about it, but if he owns up to small mistakes, they don't become big mistakes, things he can't fix. A bad choice in realtor? Hardly a mistake at all. He'll accept it and then move on quickly."

They drove in comfortable silence for a while, Gladio's eyes on the road as he sped down it, and Prompto's eyes on the pictures he'd taken throughout the day. He was a little rusty, he thought, but the angles were still good. He could work with it, and if he kept going around with Gladio to look at houses, he'd get a lot better fast. It was a good thought. A thought that moved him a little farther away from Gralea and Ardyn. A thought that put him a lot closer to Gladio, Noctis, and Ignis.

He'd run, he decided as the music played and the suburbia began to creep into their surroundings. He'd run away from his past, and toward what he hoped was his future.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday!
> 
> For those of you that may not have noticed and/or read it ( and may want to? ) [Summer Home](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14579631/chapters/34027487) has a new chapter up for your reading pleasure! I will also be updating it again on Wednesday with a scene that takes place after this chapter. I'm...sure I'll link it again next chapter.
> 
> We're on the home stretch of part one now, thank you for your continued support of this story!

Weeks began to fade into months. Before Prompto knew it he wasn't on his first hunt, but awaiting his fourth. As time went on, the days had started to become routine, much the same sort of routine he'd had before...everything had changed.

Mornings were breakfast, laughter, and soft, stolen kisses when no one was looking. "Go be disgusting somewhere else!" Or sometimes when they _were_ looking. Prompto was still shy about their relationship, but even he had to admit the particular red that Noct's cheeks tinged when he caught him kissing Gladio or vice versa amused him. It was nice, sitting around the kitchen table, eating whatever delicious thing Ignis had decided to whip up that morning, going over plans and ideas while Ignis drank his Ebony, and he and Gladio played what Noctis called "footsie" under the table.

After breakfast, Noctis went back to bed, and he and Gladio went off to whichever city or town was their current target. Some visits were more promising than others, but in the end none ever ended up being quite the fit that they needed. If the house was perfect, the area was bad. If the area was good, there was a wolf pack already too nearby. There wasn't a culinary scene. There were too many photographers. There wasn't a library. The hunting options were too slim. The list went on and on.

There was absolutely nothing that Noctis was willing to settle on, not for him, and not for any of them. "It's a sign that he's a good alpha," Gladio had said one day, when Prompto expressed frustration about their situation. "A bad alpha would just pick a place and move there, happiness of his pack be dammed."

"I know," Prompto had grumbled. "I just...wish it'd fall into place already. Iggy's getting antsy."

Gladio snorted. "I'd say you're the antsy one."

It had been a tease, but Gladio wasn't wrong. Returning every evening a failure really took a toll on a guy, even when the rest of his pack didn't think of it as a failure, just another spot narrowed out. "There are only so many places," Ignis had assured him, "It's only a matter of time."

"Don't find it too quickly," Noctis had added, smirking. "I wanna see more pictures."

That too had become a part of the routine. All the pictures that Prompto had taken during the day were gone through after dinner. He almost always ended up in someone's lap, usually Gladio's, as they sat on the couch and he flicked through them, one by one, even if the place had already been rejected. They always had nice things to say, or smartass things, in Noct's case, but all the commentary warmed his soul. They liked his pictures, and not even his self doubt could make it seem otherwise.

After pictures, Gladio went to shower, Ignis went to wash the dishes, and he played video games with Noctis before he traded with his boyfriend. Rhythm. They all worked around one another, from morning to night. As much as Prompto wanted them to find their new den and move away from Regis' west wing, what would change when they did? He was almost afraid to find out. Still, he couldn't let a little fear and worry stop him. Ignis' prediction was right, some of Regis' wolves were starting to get upset about them being there, a separate pack in their space. Ignis said that more than once now Noctis had needed to head to the east wing and put down petty squabbles while Prompto and Gladio were gone.

Time was running out.

It was perhaps that starting desperation that had Ignis sending them further afield.

"You got your bags packed?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Ready to roll," Prompto said, grinning. Today, he and Gladio were heading all the way out to _Insomnia_. Even with his tendency to speed, Gladio said the city was over three hours away (which begged the entirely scary question of how Luna had gotten to them in just half that time, and Prompto wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.) and they were going to spend not one, but two nights in it. Ignis had been preparing for the trip all week, and was sending them with three folders, two realtors, and at least twenty properties to visit.

"Not until after breakfast," Ignis' voice was both mildly amused and mildly annoyed (as though anyone could forget about breakfast with him around) as two plates were set in front of them, stacked high with pancakes.

As Ignis turned back to back to the stove to cook off his own breakfast, Gladio leaned over and placed a kiss against his temple before turning to his pancakes. The motion made Prompto blush, but it also put happy butterflies in his stomach and a grin on his face.

Across the table, Noctis was not so enthused. "Specs! Gladio and Prom are being gross again!"

"Then tell them to stop." Noctis didn't, just like he didn't every time he caught them doing "gross, romantic, coupley things." Truth be told, Prompto didn't think Noctis really hated seeing them, in fact, Prompto thought Noctis liked seeing them happy. The wolf inside him also thought Noctis was a little jealous, but Prompto himself didn't really think that was the case. If someone like Noctis wanted to be with someone, he would be, it just wasn't what he wanted.

"Are you sure you don't wanna come with us?" Luna lived in Insomnia, after all, and surely he wanted to see her. Heck, Prompto had only met her once, and he was excited to see her again. Well. Luna, _and_ Pryna, and Umbra, of course. There was no way he was going to forget about the dogs.

"Not that I don't _want_ to," Noct managed to say perfectly clearly between the bits of pancake in his mouth. "But Specs is staying, and that means I gotta."

"I can take care of myself, Noctis."

" ' Course you can," he grumbled, frowning down at his already mostly empty plate. "And Dad would never actually let anything happen to you, you were his for too long, but..." Noctis' voice drifted off, and Prompto tapped into the worry that he was letting himself radiate. Ignis was staying because it was tax season, and previously taxes for Regis' pack had fallen to Ignis, but now he had to show Monica and Dustin how to do them. Monica and Dustin were both submissives in Regis' pack, and Prompto liked them both. He didn't think either of them would try to harm Ignis, and he didn't really think Noctis did either, but there was always a chance _something_ would happen. Prompto was starting to understand that.

"We'll just have to find a place in Insomnia, right?" Prompto suggested with a smile and a small push of what he was beginning to recognize as his "omeganess." Beside him, Gladio immediately relaxed, and after a couple seconds Noctis did too. They didn't need to be getting keyed up, and it was good that this was an easy way for him to help keep his pack utterly calm.

"Yeah," Noctis said in one breath before letting out a sigh, "Then I can visit Luna anytime I want. Sounds amazing, actually. Specs! Why didn't we think of this before?"

"It _is_ rather far away."

"Yeah, but not too far away, you know? Like I can visit Dad, and Gladio could totally get to Iris, and..." He paused, "Well. It is really too far for a proper day-trip to Gralea, but...I don't think there's anything you miss about there, is there, Prom?"

Prompto shook his head quickly, before emotions could bubble to the surface. His parents lived in Gralea, but they didn't miss him. They hadn't missed him when he was a kid, and he was sure they didn't miss him now either. He was so sure that when Ignis had offered to find them, he'd said no. He hadn't had any good friends, no one that wouldn't have moved on when he'd been gone for a couple weeks, and in fact his memories of the entire city were corrupted by the very thought of Ardyn and that year in a warehouse. He'd rather not go back. "I'd rather be able to see Luna every day too."

"You excited to meet her wife?"

"Yeah!" As though the word were infectious, excitement filled him, pushing the negativity of Gralea out of his system. "I bet she's amazing too!"

"I only got to properly meet her at their wedding, but she seems pretty amazing. Nice, and her grandfather was a friend of the pack, back in the day. You'll have to tell me what she's like out of formal-wear."

"Will do!"

"Noctis," Ignis' voice, both chiding and concerned, drifted in from the stovetop where he was finishing off the last of the batter, "If you want to go--"

"Nope. Staying. Protecting what's mine." Stubborn. Noctis really was just stubborn. "Besides," he added in a less stubborn tone a smirk that Prompto really didn't like growing on his face. "These two lovebirds have never had a night alone. _If you know what I mean_." If there was any doubt about what Noctis meant, the bastard had the audacity to properly waggle his eyebrows before laughing (or was that called cackling?) at the look on Prompto's face. Prompto couldn't see his face, but he was absolutely positive a brighter shade of red wasn't possible.

"You know what?" Gladio said, putting his fork down and pushing himself up out of his seat, "Just for that, you're helping me pack the car. Now. Right now. Let's go."

Noctis didn't have to take orders from Gladio, but he got up anyway, still cackling softly deep in his throat. "Whatever you say, lover boy."

"You stop that."

" _Never_."

Prompto nearly jumped out of his skin when Ignis (the sneaky man, he hadn't even heard him coming to the table) pulled out the seat next to him to finally sit down with his own pancakes. "Don't mind Noct. He means no harm."

"I...know," he grumbled, twirling the fork between his fingers nervously. "Hey. Can I ask you something?"

Unlike Noctis, Ignis didn't do the whole, "You just did" routine, and it was something Prompto was grateful for. "Of course you can."

Deep breath. Here we go. "Was privacy a problem for you and Gladio?"

A pause, not just of talking, but Ignis paused his entire being. Ignis didn't pause what he was doing often, and honestly, watching him be quite that still was disconcerting. "I...was not aware you knew about us being a pair in the past."

"Oh. Yeah." He hadn't ever actually brought it up before, had he? "Iris told me when we first visited Lestallum. She thought I already knew. Don't worry though! I'm not upset or worried that you're going to try and steal him." It wasn't a lie. Ignis really wasn't that kind of person, but he was still a _little_ worried that someday Gladio was going to realize that he was nothing at all like Ignis, and that Ignis was better (It's just a fact, people.) and go back to him.

"Small comforts, but allow me to personally assure you that I'm not interested in pursuing Gladio again, and how pleased I am to see that you and Gladio are doing so well together."

Awkward, so very very awkward. It was time to get onto a different car of the awkward train. "Thanks. So...about my question?"

"Right," Ignis sighed, " I assume you're referring to the fact that no matter where you are in the wing, you know that Noct or I could _hear_ you?"

"Yeah," in general it seemed that everyone silently agreed to pretend that they had average human hearing, and didn't react to things they heard outside the room, but that really wasn't the case. Prompto could hear Ignis cooking in the kitchen from the living room, could hear the shower going and precisely when it turned off. He could even hear it when Noctis grumbled in his room over how to word his emails to Luna. There was no way, just no way, both Noctis and Ignis weren't going to hear him and Gladio...ahem...being... _intimate_. Noctis had definitely been teasing them, but it was also actually a problem. Noctis was of no help at all, considering his sexuality, and asking Ignis was probably bad form, but he had no where else to turn within the pack. He sure as hell wasn't going _outside_ the pack for help. At best, they might laugh, at worst...well, Prompto didn't want to think about worst.

"I apologize, but I don't really have a solution for you from that direction." Ignis' lips twisted up into an apologetic smile. "Back then I had my own house. Noctis was often there, it was true, but he certainly didn't live there. It was never much of a problem for us. We simply...went home, as it were."

"You...had your own _house_?"

"Yes," Ignis said with a nod, "It wasn't much, mind you, more a cabin than anything else, as people often liked to remind me, but it suited all my needs. Most of the elder members of Regis' pack have houses of their own, _lives_ of their own, away from the pack. Some members are only seen during times of crisis and hunts."

Okay, that seemed weird, but back on point, "Why did you get rid of it? The house, or cabin, I mean."

"It's prudent for a young pack to be close and bond properly, so when it was decided that Noctis would start his own pack, I sold the house. I sold it to Cor, actually." Ignis smiled a little, "He needed a place closer to his job, and my cabin is about halfway between here and there."

That really sounded like it sucked, selling the place you'd called home for a long time, just to become a roommate in a smaller (well, maybe this place was bigger) place. "Do you miss it?"

"The privacy? Yes, I think we've established that I'm far more private than Noctis or Gladio, but the pack comes first. On that note, if you genuinely want time alone with Gladio, I am more than capable of dragging Noctis away from here for a few hours. Just let me know, and I'll be happy to arrange something."

"Ugh. Iggy." Prompto sunk down onto the table, hoping he could just sink further down into the wood so he didn't have to be seen. "Telling you I want to is almost as bad as you hearing it."

"Hm," Ignis humming through a draft of his Ebony. "I suppose it won't be of any comfort to tell you that I can smell the fact that you 'want to'?"

Yeah. No. That wasn't helping. At all. Like it actually kind of made him want to die. "You...can?" His voice was squeaky, and he definitely wanted to crawl back under his covers and never come out again.

Ignis nodded his head, sealing Prompto's fate of just about dying of embarrassment. "Just like we can scent a lie, and we can smell the fear of prey. Why do you think Noctis has been teasing you so much?" That was true. Noctis had always teased them for being a couple, but that was just very Noctis. He meant no harm, just as Ignis said, but the last few days he'd been relentless. "I would honestly recommend remedying the situation before he gets more blunt about it."

This was really just getting worse and worse. "And how could he possibly--No. No. Nevermind. Don't answer that. I don't want to know."

"Smart answer," Ignis chuckled into his mug as the sound of Noctis and Gladio returning reached his ears.

A few moments later Noctis ducked into the room, shortly followed by his boyfriend, who stopped at the doorway, an infectious lopsided grin on his face. "You ready to go?"

"Yep!" Prompto jumped up to his feet, "I promise to face-time you guys when we get to the hotel, okay?"

"Not so fast," Noctis said, catching his arm as he crossed the room, "Don't I get a proper goodbye?" There it was, that vulnerable sadness that lay beneath his lazy confidence, a side of Noctis Prompto hadn't properly seen since the day after his first hunt. The sound of it was heartbreaking, and he knew by the particular silence that filled the room that he wasn't the only one that felt it.

That hand tugged on his arm almost desperately, and Prompto turned into Noctis' embrace. "I'm going to miss you," his alpha whispered into his shoulder, his arms not quite painfully tight around him.

"We'll be back, and I'll have like a thousand pictures, and we can play all the _Final Fantasy_ you want."

"Promise?"

"Yeah."

Noctis squeezed him just a little tighter, and then, reluctantly, let him go. "Gladio. You better take good care of our omega." There was a smile on Noctis' face, making it sound like a tease, but there was no mistaking the way the bond between them all shifted a little, and Prompto knew it was an order.

"No problem. Come on, Prompto, let's get going."

"Yeah. Coming." There was something very final feeling as they got into the car this time, and he felt as lonely as Noctis looked when he glanced up at the kitchen window. We're coming back, right?"

"Of course we are." Gladio said as he started the engine. "This is our pack. We'll find a place this time, and then we'll all move there together."

"Right." Prompto took a deep breath and forced himself to relax into the car seat. They were looking for their new beginning.

So why did it just feel so much like an ending?


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the thing I now enjoy most about this chapter is the fact that the people who commented on it were all like "OMG BAD THINGS ARE COMING." and now you get this chapter. I affectionately refer to this chapter as "The Intense Eyebrow Waggly Chapter." It is not the chapter you were thinking it was last week.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter. I think it might be one of the longer ones, but none of my chapters are...super long.
> 
> REMINDER: Summer Home updated on Wednesday, and contains a Noctis POV scene that takes place between last chapter and this chapter. <3

Insomnia was not at all like Gralea.

Gralea was dirty, and blocky. It was full of factories and smoke, and everything seemed dingy and gray. Perhaps it was partially the newness of everything, but Insomnia was so much... _more_. It was sleeker than the newest model of phone, perhaps as sleek at the car he was riding in. The tall buildings far surpassed the buildings in Gralea, seeming to literally touch the sky, yet not loom over them like a mother over her naughty children. The streets were clean and well cared for...

There were _trees_ , Prompto noticed belatedly. Trees growing straight out of the sidewalks! Gralea barely had a blade of grass growing between the cracks of the neglected streets. It took trips to the countryside to truly remember what the color green looked like.

In short, it was amazing.

"Okay, Prom, you gotta sit back down. We're gonna get pulled over if you don't put your belt back on."

"Says the man who drove one hundred and twenty-five miles per hour the entire way here." Prompto felt his argument was valid, but he sat back anyway and clicked the belt back into place. Gladio was driving more the speed limit now, if only because the cars in front of him forced him to. The roads weren't wide and open like they had been most of the drive, and you had other drivers to contend with. "So," he began, still craning his head in the car window as much as possible to see the top of the skyscrapers (So. Tall. So. Beautiful.) "Where are we going first?"

"Hotel first," Gladio answered, sighing as he shifted his head. The pop in his boyfriend's neck was so loud that Prompto jumped before he glanced back over at him. While he was super, over the top excited to be here, Gladio looked bored, really bored.

"You okay? Too much city for you?" Gladio liked camping. It was a fact. He liked the open stretches of nothingness before him, he liked having nothing but a canvas tent between him and nature. He liked smores and roaring fires. He apparently even liked it when it rained and you had to stay inside the tent. Prompto wasn't that big on camping, if they were being totally honest, but even Noct said that Gladio's love of it was infectious. Occasionally. They hadn't been properly camping together, yet, but he'd heard Gladio talk about it enough to know that maybe a city this big and sleek was off putting to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," that big, doofy grin that Prompto secretly loved spread over Gladio's face. "Just too slow. When you're a werewolf for a while, you get used to a certain amount of speed, and tend to take things really fast."

"Slow is good for some things though, right?" That shy, scared blush he was getting used to feeling had crept back up into his face and he stared down at his knees like they were the most interesting thing all around, and considering how much he really was just loving the architecture, everyone in the car knew his knees were not what ought to be keeping his attention.

In his peripheral vision, Prompto saw Gladio straighten up in his seat, that relaxed nature leaving his body, "You talking about us? The kind of _us_ that Noct hinted at this morning?"

Both a sense of increased anxiety and relief filled him. He was glad that he didn't have to spell it out. "Yeah," he barely breathed out, his breath hitching in his throat.

"Us is good. It's good slow, it's good fast. It's... _good_. I ain't gonna rush you. So yeah. Slow for us is good, if that's what you want. I want what you want. You want to tease Noct with kisses in the morning. You want to cuddle. I like those things too. I like you. We've got time. A lot of time if we're lucky. I'll wait a hundred years for you, if that's what you need."

Prompto blushed despite himself at the overly romantic words spilling from his boyfriend's mouth. It was funny, how he'd always rolled his eyes at the girls at the coffee shop and those sappy romantic chick flicks, but his boyfriend now had him squirming in his seat just saying he'd wait in fancy talk. "What if I didn't want to wait a hundred years?"

"So only fifty years then?" Ah. So the romantic words were gone now, replaced now with the normal teasing. Still, Prompto smiled, which he suspected was the entire point.

"Less than that."

"Twenty-five years then. Wow. I am a lucky man."

"Gladio."

"Twelve?"

Prompto was starting to laugh now, though he was really trying to stifle it and be serious. This was serious dammit! "Gladio!"

"Only six. Wow. Okay. You're really just rushing into things now."

His laughter now echoed through the car, so loud and forceful that he couldn't even keep his eyes open until he'd managed to control himself at least a little. When he was able to see clearly again, he saw that Gladio wasn't looking at the road anymore, but that those amber eyes were focused on him. His expression could only be described as affectionate and soft, and it killed the rest of his laughter, and heat flooded not just his face, but his entire body to know that look was for him. "Gladio, seriously."

"Hm?"

"Today."

Those amber eyes closed for a moment, and he turned his head toward the road. "I thought you might say that." He sighed, and Prompto frowned, fearing that this wasn't a good sigh. "I'm not against it. I like sex."

"Of course you do," Prompto grumbled, and in return Gladio smiled again, his hand reaching out to lightly shove at his shoulder, the motion somewhat stilted as the next words out of Prompto's mouth seemed to sink in. "I've never had it."

"No?"

Prompto shook his head. "I know. It's pathetic." He'd always been working, or going to school, or broke, or a thousand other things that hadn't included time for boyfriends or girlfriends, and then there had been his body confidence (in that he never had any) and then suddenly he'd been twenty-five, and even more suddenly after that he'd become a werewolf. Now he was here.

"No. Not pathetic, just a little surprising maybe," Gladio paused. "So even talking about this is probably terrifying for you."

"A little," Prompto admitted, his eyes shifting back to his knees again. "But that doesn't mean I don't want it. Like really want it. For weeks." Gladio's body was naturally appealing and sexy all on its own, but to be his boyfriend, yet not be able to touch, not even knowing precisely how to touch...ugh. It was so frustrating. "So...can we? Is that okay?"

"Yeah," Gladio breathed out, that one hand reaching out again, not to shove his shoulder this time, but to lightly caress his knee. "We'll need to buy a couple things, but yeah. If you're really okay with it. We can."

So it ended up being that they didn't go to the hotel first. First they ate, a return to Noodles and Company which, despite not being the same one as they'd eaten in that first day, felt very nostalgic, and peaceful. He spent half their time inside giggling nervously, but genuinely. Unlike the first time he ate two bowls of noodles. Gladio ate three.

The next stop was Walgreens, which Prompto profusely refused to get out at, and Gladio, thankfully, didn't try to make him. "Stay here and guard the car then," his boyfriend had ruffled his hair, disappeared within the doors and had returned a few minutes later carrying a bag and somehow not embarrassed at all about the fact that he'd just bought sex supplies. How? How was that even possible?! When he'd asked that very question, Gladio had chuckled softly, but replied very seriously.

"There is _nothing_ embarrassing about buying things for safe sex. Anyone who gives me a side eye for buying condoms and lube can go jump in the fucking lake." Considering how Prompto now knew that werewolves drowned in lakes, he considered this to be a very serious statement indeed, and just nodded his agreement.

The hotel was huge, far bigger than The Leville that Iris ran in Lestallum, and, like the city outside, it was all straight, sleek lines in monotones and lights. It was all so ultra modern and so enchanting that Prompto found himself staring at all the little detail work in just the walls, until Gladio's fingers intertwined with his and he felt a light tug. "Come on, our room's on the third floor."

" 'Kay."

He continued to analyze the lights all the way up the clear glass elevator.

Their room was large with windows all around, a bed big enough to almost put Noct's to shame. The carpet was clean and plush, the minibar was stocked with more than just booze, the television took up an entire wall, and in one corner there was even a hot tub. Prompto would notice none of these things until much, much later, for the instant the door closed behind them, Gladio was upon him, their mouths joined, pushing, and pulling, large hands settled nicely on his waist, leading him blindly toward the bed.

Five minutes later, Gladio was missing his shirt, Prompto was missing his shoes, and Prompto was thinking it was a damn shame that if he wanted more clothes to come off, he had to stop kissing those lips. He didn't want to. He liked the feel of his weight against him, the sound of Gladio's uneven breathing in between kisses, the knee that rested just so between his legs, the--

All coherent thought stopped, and Prompto moaned into Gladio's smirking mouth, his back arching off the bed he lay against when that knee was replaced by a hand that wasn't just ghosting along the fabric of his jeans, but pressed against it, teasing, not quite enough pressure, yet not light enough to ignore. In retaliation he tugged at the hair his fingers had been running through, and it pleased him when Gladio groaned, and bit at Prompto's lip, dragging his teeth along it, not enough to hurt, but enough to show intent, to show what he _could_ do.

Prompto very much liked the road things were going down right, and he very much wanted to continue running down said road, dragging Gladio along with him, or...Gladio dragging him along. Of course, when he very much didn't want to stop doing this heavy makeout, hopefully what would turn into sex kind of thing, this was when he remembered that he was supposed to be doing something else. "Gladio. Stop."

The instant the word stop was out of his mouth, Gladio stopped. It wasn't a slow stop, where he peppered extra kisses on his neck, or ran his fingers up his arm. No. The second the P in stop was past his lips Gladio was off of him, off the bed, _hell_ , he was halfway across the room. Holy shit, it was a little sad, the way he backed off like Prompto was on fire, but it was simultaneously a little impressed that he'd gone from ten to zero in no seconds flat. "Too much?" Gladio asked awkwardly after a second. "Did I do something you don't like? Did I--"

"Gladio."

"Yes?"

Prompto smiled at his boyfriend, resisting the urge to bite his own lip and invite Gladio back. In a bit. They could go back to that in a bit, but right now, "I promised I'd call Noct when we got here."

For a second, Gladio just stared at him blankly, and then, finally, the words seemed to pierce his brain, and those large hands that he'd much rather be touching him went up to hide his face, his shoulders trembling in laughter. "Of course," he said when he took those hands away. "Gimme a sec." It took him a couple more seconds to find his shirt, and while he was pulling it back on, Prompto pulled his phone from the depths of his pockets to pull up Noct's number.

"You ready?"

"Not yet," Gladio grunted as he pulled himself back up onto the bed, just behind Prompto, and his arms slid so easily, so naturally, around his waist, his chin snuggled into his shoulder. "This okay?"

Prompto smiled, a feeling curling around deep in his gut that told him the answer was, "Perfect."

Noctis picked up the call on the second ring. He was smiling, but the way his eyes were only half open suggested that he'd asleep until he'd heard Prompto's ringtone. _"You guys get there okay?"_ A yawn was followed by, _"Must have. You're being all snugly."_

"Don't be jelly, Noct."

 _"Hm."_ Yeah. No. Their alpha was definitely not really awake. It was actually adorable, that he truly considered them important enough to even attempt a quick wake-up for. Prompto bit back a laugh as Noctis actually seemed to nod off for a second before waking back up with a small gasp. Too cute.

"Is Iggy there?"

_"Hm...no. He's...ah, shit. What time is it?"_

"Almost three."

_"Yeah. Okay. No, Specs isn't here. He's still with Monica and Dustin. Went a couple hours ago."_

"That recently?" Gladio rumbled against his shoulder.

_"I...might have convinced him to watch a movie with me first."_

"Sweet, what movie?"

" _Princess Bride_ ," Noctis mumbled under his breath so softly that Prompto almost didn't hear him through the phone line. Shy, and there no question in Prompto's mind as to why. A full of action and adventure as it might be, the core theme was still true love, a concept that Noctis pretended to abhor like a ten year old, but Prompto had already figured out it was one of his true weaknesses in popular media.

"You really should read the book at some point, Noct," Gladio chuckled, shaking his head, and Prompto could feel the scratching of his beard on the bare edges of his shoulder. He suppressed a shudder.

_"I keep telling you that I'm not joining your book club."_

"Not book club, just reading a book. That book. You'd like it. Seriously."

Despite Gladio's attempts at reassurance, Noctis still looked skeptical. _"I'll think about it."_ Yeah. That was pretty much a no from Noct, especially with the way he immediately changed the subject. _"So what are you guys up to now?"_

Prompto tried his very best to not blush like a schoolgirl, and was very relieved when Gladio answered easily. "We're gonna get settled in here and probably take a nap before heading over to Luna's for dinner. I was thinking I'd let her look through Iggy's files and see if she's got any insight."

 _"Sounds good,"_ Noct said with another yawn. _"Say hi for me, will you?"_

"Sure thing."

_"Well, far be it from me to keep you guys from a nap. Have a good time, call me in the morning because you go meet with the realtor, okay?"_

"Got it."

After brief goodbyes, Noct hung up the phone to go back to bed, Prompto assumed, and Prompto leaned his head back against Gladio's chest. "Book club?"

"...Yeah," those arms around his waist tightened, and Prompto felt a small blossom of fear in his chest. What did Gladio have to be afraid of about a book club? "Back when I was a teenager, Noct took me to see _Treasure Planet_."

"An excellent and underrated Disney movie."

"Agreed," Gladio chortled, though that fear in his chest remained. "I didn't know Iggy really well then, but he found out I hadn't read the book, and gave it to me. When I finished, he gave me another, and another after that, and so on. Noct called it our book club. It was how I first really discovered I liked to read," he paused, "It was also how I first discovered that I had a crush on Iggy."

Ah. That was the fear. "Do you guys still do book club?"

"Yeah? We...stopped for a while after we broke up, but we do it now. He'll give me a book, and now I'll give him a book too. We read different books, but only books the other has read. And we discuss thoughts."

"Sounds nice."

Gladio hummed against his shoulder, that fear in his chest was still there. Why? Why was Gladio afraid of talking about this? And then the thought occurred to him. "Are you still in love with Ignis?" Those arms around his waist tightened even more, and Prompto knew he'd just hit the nail on the head. "Just tell me the truth?"

"Yeah. I'll...always be in love with Ignis, Prom, I just also know we don't work on our own, and that means I can't be with him, but...I love you too. I really do. Love you. So much. I don't want you to think that you're just a second choice because I can't have him. You're not. There's nothing second choice about you. I need you to know you're good enough."

The feeling in Prompto's chest was dismay, but it was also knowing. He couldn't smell it yet, but he knew that every word from Gladio's mouth was true. Gladio loved Ignis. Always would, but that was okay, because Gladio's heart was big enough to love him too. "You said it in Lestallum too, didn't you?"

"What?"

"That you weren't looking for another Ignis in me. Ignis is Ignis. You look at me and want Prompto. I'm different. You _like_ that I'm different."

"Yeah," Gladio said as he turned his head and rested his cheek against Prompto's shoulder. "Don't compare yourself to Iggy. Compare yourself to Prom."

"You said that back then too."

"And I'll say it again. As many times as I need to."

They sat there for a minute, solemn, before Prompto took in a deep breath. "Gladio?"

"Yeah?"

"I've never really been in love before, but I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you too." He'd had crushes, hell, he'd had a lot of them in high school, but this was different. Gladio was different. That thrumming affection he felt in his chest constantly, the fact that he wanted to be around him constantly that he just couldn't explain, the way his heart soared from simply holding hands...the laughter. Prompto thought the laughing he did with Gladio was the most important thing. He thought that this was what love really felt like.

He felt Gladio shift slightly, and his lips pressed a smiling kiss lightly against the crook of his neck. "Are we content to be idiots in love then?"

Prompto laughed, and he felt that smile against his neck widen. "I suppose so. Now," He stretched himself off to one side, setting his phone lightly on the nightstand so that it wouldn't be in danger of getting broken. "Where were we?" He shifted himself backwards so that his back pressed against Gladio's chest, and he smiled up at his love's face, before reaching up to try and pull it down to him. "I think I might remember..."

They kissed again, smiling, slow, and open-mouthed, Prompto fully intending to finish what they'd started. This time, it was Gladio that pulled away first. "Hey," he whispered is that same husky voice Prompto remembered hearing the first time they'd kissed. "Are you sure this is okay?"

Prompto laughed again, his fingers curling into the fabric of Gladio's shirt to pull him back down. "Positive."


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you are all going to hate me for saying this by the end of the chapter, but there will not be an update next Sunday. It's written, and you'll get it the Sunday after, but next Sunday is a very dear friend's birthday, and I wrote her something special for it. Instead of a new chapter in _Finding Home_ you'll get that oneshot I wrote for her. I hope you all read that too, as I'm really quite pleased with how it turned out.
> 
> All that being said, next chapter will be the last chapter of part one. Reminder, part two will NOT be a separate story. Just...sort of like when one book has two "books" inside of it, and there will be a somewhat significant timeskip between part one and part two.

When Gladio woke Prompto up the digital clock read 6:03, and Prompto did not want to get up. He was comfortable, and warm, and the bed was soft. Really, he honestly just felt so content to lay here. Forever maybe. Forever sounded really nice at 6:03 in the evening. He closed his eyes again to make a feeble attempt at forever. Gladio wasn't having it.

"Don't go turning into Noct on me," Gladio said through a poorly concealed laugh as he shook Prompto's shoulder again. "We need to be at Luna's by seven, and you need a shower."

He did kind of need a shower. He was fairly certain that if he actually bothered to move, he'd realize how sticky and gross he probably was. Still. Comfortable and lazy was winning out in his brain. "Do I gotta?"

Above him, Gladio snorted. "Do you want to pet dogs?"

"Yes," he mumbled into the pillow.

"Then, yeah, you gotta."

"Can't you just bring the dogs here?"

Gladio gave a barking laugh that made Prompto smile into his pillow. "Now you're just being ridiculous. Come on. Up." The hand that had been jostling his shoulder smacked his ass instead, and Prompto tried to make himself feel or at least seem angry at the abuse, but just ended up smiling even more instead. He braced himself, took a deep breath, and pushed himself up. His body resisted in the way it normally did after he'd fallen into a semi-deep sleep, groggy and lethargic, but there was none of the soreness or pain that he'd expected after having sex with someone. None of the pain he'd been ready to accept, even after preparation and care. For a second, he bothered to wonder why, and then it occurred to him. He'd already healed any damage. Right. Werewolves did that sort of thing. After Ardyn's abuse, he supposed that he ought to remember that even the deepest cuts healed fairly quickly, but this was different, almost like a rite of passage.

He'd sort of been looking forward to it.

"Something wrong?"

Prompto shook his head quickly, slinking to the edge of the bed and smirking up at his lover. "You wanna take a shower with me?"

"Oh no," Gladio said, reaching out and pressing the pad of one finger against his nose. "I'm not falling for _that_ trick. Go on. We gotta be out of here in twenty minutes."

With a slight pout, Prompto slunk off to the bathroom, which still smelled strongly of wet, soapy moisture from Gladio's own shower, and closed the door. Once he did he found that he smelled starkly different than he was used to. Gladio's scent lingered on his skin, that motor oil and book ink smell that he'd come to associate with Gladio, but it wasn't just that, but a musky, salty sort of scent that didn't quite belong to either of them. 'Sex,' the wolf inside him supplied helpfully after he spent several seconds trying to place it, and a blush crept up his neck and into his face. That was exactly what it was. Sex. He smelled like sex, and he found that he didn't quite want to wash it off. Anyone who could smell it would know that he belonged to Gladio, that Gladio had claimed and marked him, even if the marks and feeling of it had faded. The wolf side of him loved that feeling, of being claimed, and loved the idea that others would know he wasn't available just as much as that lingering humanity blushed and internally sputtered at the thought.

In the end, he got into the shower anyway (and spent another minute or so marveling at how much fancier it was than even the shower at the den) and washed both his body and his hair before forcing himself to turn the warm spray off and towel dry.

When he was pulling on the clean shirt that Gladio had already put in the bathroom for him, he found that the scent of sex on his skin wasn't completely gone. It was faint, overwhelmed by the scent of hotel soap, but it was there if he looked for it, and he smiled.

He smiled even more to be greeted by Gladio's own smile, and a quick kiss. "You ready?" Fingers skittered down his bare arms, and Prompto bit his lip, nodding.

"Yeah. Ready."

When Prompto imagined Luna's house he honestly sort of imagined the mansion that Regis had made his den. Huge, clean, white, with lots of marble and stairs. That wasn't Luna's house at all. Instead, Luna's house was something straight out of a 50's magazine, complete with white picket fence, fresh coat of blue paint, and a two car garage. "Is this really where Luna lives?"

"Sure is," Gladio said as he killed the engine. "Where did you think she lived?"

"In the city, like...properly in the city? And like..." Prompto sort of shrugged his shoulders and made little circle motions with his hands, as though that would make his point clearer. "Bigger."

"...Bigger."

"Yeah. Like a lot bigger."

Beside him, Gladio chuckled, and Prompto frowned before a sigh forced its way out of his lungs. "I'm describing Ravus again, aren't I?"

The chuckle intensified. "You really are. Ravus runs the rather large Nox-Fleuret estate downtown, and Luna is often there for functions and work, but Noct says her heart and home are here. Along with her dogs."

Prompto was starting to think that, despite Iggy's warning that he didn't really want to, at some point he would have to meet Ravus, just so that he could differentiate between the two siblings' aesthetics in his head. That would have to wait though, for now...for now he had to get out of the car and have dinner with Luna and her wife.

Gladio rung the doorbell while Prompto fidgeted on the porch beside him, and the noise caused the somehow nostalgic and comforting sound of dogs barking at strangers to begin within the house. Moments later the door opened, and behind the beveled glass of the screen door, Luna's face smiled out at them. "Good evening!" She greeted, her voice as bright as her smile. "Come in. Dinner's almost ready."

Pryna and Umbra ran laps around and between Prompto's legs as he took in the inside of the house. It wasn't white, but instead a very deep, dark blue, and looked like it had been done by a professional, with not a thing out of place. It was nothing like the den, which had nice, but not cohesive things inside. A woman's touch, he thought to himself as he looked at a golden peacock box that stood out on a table. The den was a place here four men obviously lived, despite Ignis' care to keep it clean and neat, but this was a place where someone gave a shit about how it looked as though it were a whole. Like it was from a magazine.

Careful not to trip over the dogs, Prompto followed Gladio and Luna out to the kitchen, and a woman with a much brighter blonde than Luna's turned to face then, a grin spread wide over her beautiful and astoundingly familiar face. "Cin-Cindy?!"

Cindy's smile somehow widened even further and she raised one hand up in a friendly wave, "Hey there, Prompto! Small world, ain't it?"

It was Gladio who spoke while Prompto tried to remember how to form words in his mouth. "You guys know each other?"

"Sure do! Prompto here and I went to high school together!"

For Prompto, it was a little bit more than just "went to high school together." For Prompto, on the list of guys and girls he'd had his crushes on, Cindy had been both at the top of the list, and a constant on the list. She was beautiful, smart, kind, and most importantly of all, she didn't take shit from anyone. She could throw a punch just as well as she could benchpress more than the guys on the football team and fix any of the junker cars the other students bought when they started getting their licenses. Prompto had always thought she was a literal goddess walking among them, and would have licked her cowboy boots if she'd asked.

He'd tried for years to get her attention, but, though she'd never bullied him, she'd also never shown any interest in him, almost to the point of ridiculous blindness. He'd given up his senior year, though he'd still held a candle for her. Other guys weren't as smart, but Prompto had figured that she was married to her interest in cars, and since no amount of anything was going to turn him into a car, he'd taken a step back and simply admired from afar.

It appeared now that along with not being a car, he'd also not been the right gender. Somehow that just made a _lot_ more sense.

"How have you been, Cindy?" He was pleased with how evenly the words passed his lips, and not not upset he made himself sound. Was he upset? He felt like he was, but not like he was angry at her. Surprised maybe. He hadn't expected anything from his life before to ever show up again. Finding that a girl he'd majorly crushed on in high school had married his alpha's best friend? Weird. Like things really did come full circle, and that somehow upset him, but that wasn't really Cindy's fault. Still, if high school could come back to haunt him, what was to say that _other_ things couldn't do the same?

"I've been good," Cindy swiped her hands together back and forth, her canary yellow cardigan making her seem both cheery and homey as she abandoned the stove to stand with them. "I went to train with Paw-Paw after high school, and, obviously, I found a pretty little lady along the way and settled right here." She laughed that infectious laugh that he'd always remembered her having, and he could practically feel Gladio smiling too.

"Cid," who Prompto could only imagine was supposed to be Cindy's 'Paw-Paw,' "Was a friend of Dad's and Regis' from way back. He's gone now, but everyone from the pack still tries to get their cars and bikes fixed at Hammerhead, if they can get here. It _is_ quite a bit of a drive for a tune up."

"That's actually how we met," Luna said from Prompto's other side, and Prompto nearly jumped out of his shoes, having forgotten that she was even there. "My car overheated a few years ago, and Noct told me to take it to Cid and Cindy."

"If you wouldn't try to magic your car into going 300 miles-per-hour, you wouldn't need a mechanic for the overheatin'." Cindy said with a frown, but then the smile slid back up her cheeks. "Then again, if you didn't, I suppose we never would've met, so I can't be that upset at ya, now can I?"

"Silver linings, I suppose." Luna laughed at her own bad joke, and Prompto laughed with her until Pryna's paws found their way to his stomach. It was a small world indeed.

Dinner was simple. Neither one of the women seemed to be any good at proper cooking like Ignis (but then again, did anyone really cook as well as Ignis?) but Cindy had assembled lovely looking feta salads in in mason jars, and Luna said even she was capable of making a lasagna with oven ready noodles. They ate, and laughed, and talked, and within the hour that uneasy feeling of seeing a face from a past he'd wanted to forget had faded and he felt more like he was reconnecting with an old friend he was ashamed to admit he'd almost forgotten about.

After dinner, Prompto helped Cindy clean up in what felt like peaceful silence, "Oh! This one's a great property, and I think the nearest pack is on the other side of the city." He could hear Gladio and Luna discussing real estate back at the table, Gladio calmly, but Luna with ever increasing excitement. He'd be excited too, he thought as he dried a glass, if there was suddenly a very real possibility that his childhood best friend was about to move in practically next door. Actually, as he thought about it, he was already excited for a similar reason. Now that he was over the shock of Cindy being Luna's mystery wife, the idea that they might move here and he might actually get to know here as a friend, and not just a unrequited crush from high school was very exciting indeed.

"Do you like him?"

"Huh?"

He turned to look at Cindy, and there must have been something particularly blank or confused about his expression, for she laughed at his face and turned back toward the astringent smelling tub of water. "Gladio. It's a little obvious that you two are more than friends, or comrades, or roommates, or...whatever it is y'all are to each other in a pack."

Prompto sucked his bottom lip in under his teeth for a second before he decided to be perfectly truthful. The most truthful he could be. "I want to be his mate," he whispered. The wolf inside him whispered that this was a good confession to make.

"That sounds important."

"It is," he said with a nod. "It's really important to wolves. The most important. I love him, and I never want to be without him."

The sound of soapy water sloshing around in the tub stopped for a moment, and then, just as softly as his own confession, Cindy spoke. "I knew you had a crush on me in high school."

"You...You did?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I knew. I always knew. I knew even back then that I liked girls though, so, I wasn't interested, but you weren't like the other guys who liked me. They just wanted a good fuck. To say they had, ya know?" Prompto nodded. He knew. He'd known a lot of guys like that back in high school. They made their rounds within the circles, always leaving them the moment they had no more use for them. "You weren't like that though. You were so sweet and awkward that I just didn't know what to do with you. I didn't want ta break your heart."

"I...figured it out eventually."

"That's not the point I'm tryin' ta make here, Prompto."

"No?"

Cindy made a face, the kind of face a lot of people made when they were thinking about how they wanted to word something to make it sound pretty. "I guess what I'm really tryin' ta say is that I knew I wasn't gonna be your sweetheart, but I'm real glad I get to see you again, now, with someone who looks like they love you as much as you love them."

That wasn't really what Prompto had expected at all, but it made him feel warm and happy inside, until he found he couldn't look at Cindy's profile any longer, and he turned back to drying the dishes. "Thanks. I'm happy you're happy too." And he was.

By the time they actually left, it was almost ten o'clock, and Prompto was properly covered in both black and white dog hair. Prompto was also dead tired and practically falling asleep in the car during the ride back to the hotel. The in and out of streetlights going by was somehow soothing, and he must have truly drifted off at some point for the next thing he really knew was Gladio was shaking him awake again. "I can carry you up, if you want."

"Mm. No. I'll get up." It was a bit difficult, his muscles had already decided that they wanted to stay in that position, but Gladio waited patiently by his car door while he dragged himself up and out of the seat and rubbed his eyes. Gladio's hand rubbed his back encouragingly as they began to walk back to the hotel, and Prompto yawned. He was sure he'd make it up to the room, but he wasn't so sure he'd actually be able to change his clothes before he simply fell back into bed.

_"There you are."_

Prompto's blood ran cold, and where he'd been half asleep before, he was now very wide awake his heart trying to hammer itself out of his chest. No. No-no-no-no-no.

"Prompto?"

He could hear Gladio next to him, but he wasn't paying any attention to him. No, his head was whirling around as he tried to find where those words had come from. Where that voice had come from. It couldn't be--

_"Over here, Prompto."_

His head snapped to stare directly in front of them. Yes. There. The cold feeling of fear was quickly filling him like a bottle as he took it in. Under the next street lamp, his posture as lazy and unassuming as Prompto remembered was Ardyn.

 _"Come here."_ The words were a whisper, but the fell on his ears like a yell.

"I don't want to."

"Prompto. What's going on? What's wrong? What don't you want to do?" Gladio's words were there, but muffled. He could hear them, but they didn't seem to make sense. Far away. It was like they were in a bubble, where could see and hear Gladio, but Gladio couldn't hear and see him. Or was that just Ardyn?

_"I said come here. Now."_

"No! I'm not your submissive! I am Noctis' omega! I don't have to do what you want! I will never do what you want!" All at once he was screaming, his hands up to his ears as he tried to shut Ardyn's voice out. His chest felt tight, he kept trying to breathe, but air wouldn't come. Hands grabbed his arms and he thrashed against them. No! No! He wasn't going to go! He wanted to stay here! He wanted to stay...here...

The sidewalk rushed up to meet him. There was pain in his head.

Somewhere nearby, someone he knew was yelling. Even closer a phone was ringing. No. Two phones.

And then there was nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now...where was the fulfillment for that foreshadowing I did a couple chapters ago... There it is!
> 
> Thank you for reading and hopefully see you all again in two weeks!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed your last two weeks. <333
> 
> For those of you that haven't read it yet, the reason I didn't update Finding Home last week was that posted [Screwdriver](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14817953), which is a fluffy Gladnis story, for my future wife's birthday. <3 I hope all of you will go read that after you read this update.
> 
> Gentle reminder that this is the last chapter in the first part of Finding Home, but fret not! Next week I'll just be going right ahead and posting the first chapter of part two, and I will probably continue to update Summer Home periodically on Wednesdays.
> 
> I'm not sure how many chapters part two will end up being, but so far I have five written, and I have quite a bit of plot yet to go.
> 
> Please enjoy!

When he awoke, Prompto was surrounded. Dimly, he registered that at his feet was Noct, to his left, Ignis, and his right, Gladio. It struck him as odd and weirdly nightmare-like, the way they stood, looking down at him like they were attending his funeral, and then he began to properly remember why they would be positioned in such a way.

Ardyn.

As soon as the name popped into his head he jolted up into a sitting position, and desperately struggled to try and get out of the blankets that were entrapping him in the bed. Simultaneously, three pairs of hands reached out to touch him, stop him, restrain him - No! Panic began to fill him until he breathed in the air and realized there was no blood here. Everything about Ardyn smelled like blood, fresh blood, dried blood, human blood, animal blood, other blood. Just _blood_. If there was no blood here, then Ardyn was not here. Right. No. Ardyn wasn't here. This was just his pack. He loved and trusted his pack. He thought those words like a mantra as he tried to relax himself.

Like a glass, comfort that wasn't quite effective filled him from Ignis' fingertips. "Better?" Ignis had on his gentlest tone, and Prompto jerkily nodded his head. He didn't really feel better, but he didn't feel like fleeing into the night anymore either. Time, maybe with a little bit of time he'd properly calm down. 

He breathed in deeply, and he found his throat dry and scratchy. "Can I-can I have water? Please?"

"Sure thing," Noctis said from by his feet. "Be right back." He watched as Noctis slipped off the end of the bed and disappeared off into a corner.

He felt Gladio's finger slide up into his hair and rub against his scalp and with another deep breath Prompto closed his eyes, leaning into it. It was okay. Ardyn wasn't here, and he was surrounded by his pack. It was okay. It was okay...wait.

Wearily, he opened his eyes again. "When did you and Noct get here?" This was the hotel room, they were still in Insomnia. Noct and Ignis had stayed at the den, four hours away. Prompto looked at the clock. It was almost three in the morning. Shit. How late had Noctis stayed up?! Noctis normally couldn't stay up past ten if he tried, let alone three in the morning! All for him...it made him feel guilty, but also happy, that his alpha would do that for him. 

"We came as soon as Gladio apprised us to the situation." Ignis paused for a heartbeat, "But if he hadn't picked up when he did, we would have come anyway."

"But how did you get here? We have the car."

Ignis gave an awkward little cough as Noctis came back into view, holding a bottle of water. "Gladio's motorcycle."

"You should have seen it, Prom!" Noct bumped his hip into Ignis' side, earning him a disgruntled look that he proceeded to ignore. "He drove that motorcycle like a pro and sped all the way here! Just for you! It was so badass for Specs!" His alpha opened the bottle of water, offered it to him, and then added in a much more soft tone, "Small sips, kay?"

" Kay," he accepted the bottle and obeyed the command, taking small sips of the water and letting it slide down his throat. Each one made him feel a little bit better, but his thoughts slipped back to the motorcycle. "I thought you _hated_ the motorcycle, Iggy." He also knew Ignis hated speeding, but he decided that he was only going to question one thing at a time.

"I do," Ignis said solemnly, "But it was what we had at hand. Not coming to your aid immediately was not an option."

"Thanks, I know that was hard for you." There was no emotion behind the words, because he wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about it. It was common knowledge that Ignis would rather not touch that motorcycle with a fifty foot pole, and made a face any time Gladio even mentioned the thing. How was he supposed to feel about the idea that Ignis had simply jumped on it without any real hesitation and come to be with him? Happy that he'd done it? Upset that he'd made him? Special that he was important enough? He wasn't sure. All he knew was it had been hard, and Ignis deserved thanks for it.

Ignis didn't respond to his thanks, he only watched him take small sips of water, as though he needed to make sure that he was obeying the directions. He watched until the bottle was about half gone, and then he spoke. "You know we're going to have to ask you some hard questions. Or. Perhaps just one. Hard question."

Ah. Yeah. Prompto supposed this was the logical escalation. He'd freaked out so badly that he'd passed out on the sidewalk. Naturally they had questions. He put the cap back on the water bottle and sighed, "I suppose it starts with what happened."

"No." Prompto frowned, and when he looked up to Ignis' face, he was smiling wanly back down at him. "I suspect I already know what happened."

"Yeah?"

Ignis nodded. "The man who changed, captured, and tormented you came to collect you."

"Iggy," Gladio said from his other side. "We've been over this, I swear to all the gods that there was no one there. He was yelling and screaming at someone who was _not_ there!"

Prompto hated the way that the way Gladio was saying it made it sound like he was crazy. Like he'd hallucinated that Ardyn had been standing there. Like he needed to be on medication, or in a mental facility. He wasn't crazy! He'd been there! "I--"

"Gladio," Prompto stopped short as he felt the beginnings of an order shift through the pack. "Let Ignis finish."

"Noct, you can't possibly think--"

"Gladio. That was not a request."

Prompto watched Gladio's jaw set, and then he saw it. Fear. It wasn't that Gladio was thinking that he was _crazy_. It was more that he was _afraid_. He was afraid that if he hadn't seen it...what was it? Trying to say that he was seeing things that wasn't there was easier than saying Prompto had seen something he couldn't. But Prompto knew the truth. It was Ardyn. Ardyn could do a lot of things. "That was what happened, wasn't it, Prompto?"

He looked back to Ignis, who was still smiling weakly, his eyes hiding some other emotion that Prompto wasn't sure he wanted to feel, even if Ignis were prone to sharing his feelings. He couldn't quite place it. Hatred? No. That wasn't strong enough for what he saw in those eyes. He could only hope that emotion wasn't directed at him. "Yeah. He came for me. I told him no." He swallowed, and despite the water he'd just drank, his mouth was dry. "I...freaked out. I think."

Slowly, Ignis nodded his head. "So I thought. Here..." he coughed, clearing his throat. "Here is the hard question. We've never pushed you for it," he sighed. "We...didn't want to trigger you, but it's important now that we know. Your tormentor's name; what is it?"

That was a hard question, and Prompto swallowed several more times while he tried to work up the strength to say it. It was true. He thought that name almost every day, though he was starting to realize that some days he replaced the name of his tormentor with the name of the man he loved as a bandage of sorts, to heal the hurts. But this...he felt like he was back to square one. The first day he'd come to the pack. He still loved Gladio, he still wanted to be with his pack, but he now knew that he really was going to come for him. "I'd really hoped he was at the bottom of that river." It took the words spilling from his mouth for him to realize that was crying. He rubbed his hands against his eyes to stem the flow, he had to stop. He had to do this. Ignis wouldn't ask him do say it if it weren't important that they know.

"We all did," Ignis said softly, and he felt Gladio's comforting hand on his shoulder. "But he's not, and we need that name."

Right. He could do this. He could. He could think. He could say it aloud. He had to. The safety of his pack depended on it. His hand searched for Gladio's, and when they touched, his lover intertwined their fingers without hesitation. It helped. Deep breath. In. Out. Say it. Now. "Ardyn. His name was Ardyn."

Prompto wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but certainly what he didn't expect was Noctis' immediate reaction. "God fucking dammit!" Noct's fist connected with the mattress so hard that Prompto was sure he felt something crack inside it. He could feel Noctis' scathing fury in his chest, but he was too afraid of it to let it affect him. It was like watching a building burn to the ground from outside. He didn't dare touch it.

"Noctis..."

"No! Don't even with me, Ignis! I am going for a walk!" They all watched as Noct took angry, charged footsteps, his fingers raking and tugging at his hair like he truly meant to pull it out before he went out of the door, slamming it shut behind him.

For over a minute all of them did nothing but look at that door, the air charged with an energy Prompto was afraid to address, and then Ignis sighed, and it shattered around them. "I'm sorry for that," he said, his quietude a direct contrast to Noct's fury.

"Have you...heard that name before?" It was quite obvious that Noctis had, but what about Ignis or Gladio?

"I haven't," Gladio grumbled before he felt him move and twist so that he could properly sit on the edge of the bed. Once he was sitting, the hand he'd been holding was then covered by the other, and it was somehow doubly comforting.

Ignis was doing a lot of sighing, and Prompto didn't like it. Before, this had been hard for him, but saying the name had somehow been freeing, at least for now. Now, he suspected the difficult task lay with Ignis. "You wouldn't have, Gladio. He's not been a problem in your lifetime, until now, obviously, and we try not to speak of him when he's not an immediate issue."

"But you know him?"

"Both Noct and I are...very familiar with the name, though neither of us has ever actually seen the man." Yet another sigh emanated from Ignis' mouth. "He's...suspected to be one of the very first werewolves to ever exist, which, following back the bloodlines makes him several thousand years old. The biggest problem with him, is that not only is he a wolf, but he's witchborn."

"Like Noct," Gladio put in. "Witchborn like Noct."

"More than you know," Ignis said sadly. "Noctis and Ardyn use very different methods of attaining their magical prowess, which makes them fundamentally different in that way. Pain is the way witchborn attain and control power. That's universal in witchborns. Noctis internalizes the pain and suffering he needs for power. He takes from us when we change, makes it own pain, and uses it to protect us. He stores too much, and he...well. You know what he has done to him for control." That had to be a statement only for Gladio, for Prompto was scarcely aware that Noctis truly had magic, but if Ignis wouldn't say what Noctis did for that control...Prompto wasn't sure he _wanted_ to know. "Ardyn tortures and then kills others and then uses the life-energy their pain creates. And Ardyn has no need for control. He just uses."

Ignis paused, his eyes focused down on his gloved hands. It was a few very long seconds before Ignis spoke again. "There has always been a lot of fear around Ardyn's name, even among his own bloodline. When Ardyn is relevant...Regis refers to him as Uncle Ardyn. Noctis refuses the moniker."

It took a couple of seconds for this statement to work itself through Prompto's brain. "Wait. Wait. They're related?!" Panic flooded Prompto, and Ignis reached out, grabbing his and and shoving comfort into him like an arm through a sleeve. This time, this time Prompto took it as much as he could, and he fell back against his pillow shaking.

"Yes. Ardyn and Noctis are distantly related. It's possible to track it even, The Lucis-Caelum line of wolves started with Somnus, the tradition being that any child born to them was eventually turned. Somnus was brother to Ardyn some millennia ago. So yes. Noctis and Ardyn are related. Believe me, Prompto, it is not a happy bond on either end. Both sides of the line have vowed vendettas, the severity of which, I am sure has only been increased by the fact that Noctis has you now, and is treating you well."

Prompto was listening, but it was almost like he was listening to someone else's life at this point. The man who had kept him chained in a cage and had tortured him almost daily was related, no matter how distantly and how disgustedly, to his alpha, the lazy, sarcastic, smiling man who wanted nothing more than to be cuddled and loved, who had never done anything but try and make his life happy. It was such a disconnect that he didn't want to believe it, but he also knew Ignis wouldn't lie about this. No. Not Ignis. Ignis would not do this to him unless he had to. Ignis was kind and gentle. He didn't want to harm anyone.

"So Ardyn is sort of like a boogeyman for werewolves?" Gladio asked.

"More...like Voldemort," Ignis responded, and it almost made Prompto laugh despite everything, to hear Ignis use a modern pop culture reference like that. "We know he exists, but we do not speak of him unless we have to, and even then only when he's done something directly to us."

"Has he?"

"Hm?"

Prompto licked his lips. "Has he done something directly to you, Iggy? Before now?"

"Oh yes," Ignis breathed out in such a heartbroken tone that made Prompto want to hold him and never let go. "I first learned Ardyn's name when he murdered my uncle."

* * *

 

It was a long night. Noctis came back eventually, calmer, but not calm, and after he apologized both for his outburst and for "being related to that fucking asshole" they all crawled in bed together, just as they did at home, and Prompto fell asleep comforted by his pack's protection. In the morning, he was last to wake, even after Noctis, but he found that he felt much more stable and secure, even more so after they ate breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. It wasn't Ignis food, but it filled not just his stomach, but an emotional void too.

They went house hunting after that. Ignis and Noctis decided to stay and help with the search, "We're already here," Noctis had said after Prompto suggested they head home, "might as well all do it together."

Together seemed to be the answer they had needed all along, because they found the house they eventually moved into that very same day. Prompto knew it too, the moment they all stepped inside. Even through the cracks in his soul that Ardyn had put there the night before something in his brain clicked when he went inside the house. The kitchen was huge, and bright, with windows from almost every angle. He could see Ignis cooking in here, he could see himself washing dishes and laughing with him. The living room too was wide and spacious, with built in bookshelves and a wall big enough to hold a television to suit all of his and Noct's gaming needs. He could see where their couch would go, and he could see all of them on it together, not separate but as one. One unit. One pack. There was nothing Prompto wanted more.

There were six bedrooms, the largest of them plenty big enough for Noct's comfy bed, and another with only one window on one wall. It was Ignis who actually suggested the thought that Prompto had been mulling over in his mind. "It would be nothing to take that window out and make this into a dark room for photo development. I could probably do myself, if need be."

Both bathrooms had tubs for baths, a fact that seemed to make Noctis a little uneasy when Prompto found him staring at one, but despite that when they returned to the car, Noct was the one who said it first; "That's the house. That's _our_ house."

They all agreed.

"I concur."

"It felt right."

"I feel it too."

" 'Kay." In his peripheral vision Prompto saw Noctis whip out his phone so fast he almost thought he'd thrown it from the car. "Let's make sure everything else checks out too."

It did. "There are three schools and only two professional photographers within just a three mile radius. You could make a killing on senior photos alone, nevermind weddings and other events." Ignis smiled at him, and Prompto smiled back.

"That sounds great."

"It's surprising, but there's no packs for ten miles out," Noctis added from his place on the couch. "Not a _huge_ territory, but plenty big enough for the four of us. Both Luna and Ravus fall in our territory. We can visit whenever we want, and Iris too, is only two hours away by car. Closer than before, but not so close that we'd interfere with her life like we might have if we had moved out to Lestallum."

"That sounds great too," Prompto said with a nod. Iris was still a daytrip away, but it wasn't so bad, Prompto didn't think, if they weren't stuck in the mansion waiting for things to work and hoping the other pack in their space wouldn't decided to eject them prematurely. Gladio being gone for a day or two a month just to see his sister sounded nice. Maybe he'd go with him. Maybe Ignis and Noctis would too.

"I also found a good hunting spot about an hour out. Nice camping area nearby, and no one would question it if we went camping once a month, even in winter. Winters are pretty mild out here."

They were all quiet for a long time, none of them looking at each other, the only sound was the shifting of papers in Ignis' hands until Noctis finally broke the silence. "I think this is it. _Our_ territory. We finally found it."

Again, they all agreed.

It was almost six months before the sale of the house was finalized, the west wing of the house was cleared of their things, and they were able to move into their new house, but during that entire time Ardyn didn't show his face again, and on the day that the key was given to Noctis, and they stood outside the door, Prompto squeezed Gladio's hand, and found his heart was full of hope and excitement.

"This is it, you guys ready?"

"Absolutely."

"You bet!"

"Get on with it already."

Noctis laughed and as he slid the key into the door and unlocked it, Prompto made a vow in his heat. Noct was right. This was it. This was not just going to be a new house or a new territory for them. They had found their home together, and together they would be happy.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The first chapter of part two!
> 
> I added a character and a tag. I had a whole bunch of tags in my mind that I wanted to add to it, but of course, now that I sat down to do it, I can't remember any of them. Maybe they'll come back to me.
> 
> The posting schedule will continue as it has been: Once a week on Sundays, unless I warn you otherwise the week before...or I'm really sick.
> 
> Thank you so much for continuing to read, comment, and kudo my work! <3333

The music blasted in his ears as he ran past house after house. Each of the houses were unique, yet Prompto was so used to them that they all seemed to run together in a blurry mush of beige sameness. He waved as he ran past the little old lady in a jogging suit and her papillon, and the boy in the Evil Dead t-shirt delivering the morning newspapers. He didn't _know_ these people, didn't know their names, couldn't tell you which of the little Insomnia suburbia houses they lived in, but he saw them almost every morning, so it _felt_ like he knew them.

Prompto ran the exact same route every morning, minus those couple days a month where getting out of bed was a chore, and he only got up to be pulled back into it by Noct, and the the morning after that where they all tumbled into some breakfast joint or another, and Ignis drank a lot of coffee and pretended he hadn't noticed the unidentifiable stains on the ceiling tiles. Prompto knew that people tended to get bored of doing the same thing every single morning. He knew joggers often had a series of routes that took them past different landmarks every day or every week, just to break up the monotony, but for Prompto at least there was something very comforting about that feeling of sameness in the morning. Especially after a night where he woke up all but screaming because his nightmares were full of cages, knives, and a velvety fake voice that grated against him like nails on a chalkboard.

He suppressed a shudder just thinking about it. They'd lived in their new house in their new territory for over a year now without any sightings or incidents with Ardyn, and the days were amazing. In fact, Prompto could only think of two things that might make him happier with life when the sun was out, but when it set and he put his head to pillow his dreams often reminded him of just how fucked up he was. It was odd, before they'd moved he'd never had nightmares at all, despite how new the damage to him was, but now that they were in their new home, it was like his brain wanted to go backward instead of forward. Gladio helped. His job usually had his boyfriend working until two in the morning, but he came to his bed when he came home, and having something whose arms he could turn into when he woke was more help than Prompto could express.

The blah blah boring route he ran every morning smoothed over the rest of his brain's trauma from the night before. Gladio had snickered at him when he'd started, and Prompto had understood why. People who ran like Prompto did mostly did it to keep in shape or to lose weight, neither of which was a thing that Prompto needed to do anymore, but Prompto had been running every morning from the time he'd been twelve to the time he'd been changed at twenty-five. It was comforting, familiar, and helped him set up a routine. When he'd told that to Gladio he'd put up his hands in surrender and said, "Whatever you wanna do, Babe, but if I start seeing your razor cheekbones again, I'm going to start buying McDonald's for your breakfasts and we both know how much Iggy's gonna love _that_."

Prompto did not want either of them to die at the end of one of Ignis' knives, and so he took precautions to make sure that Gladio did not feel the need to supplement his diet with greasy fast food. That was something that was getting easier, knowing that he really wasn't just eating constantly because the food was there, but because they, as werewolves, really needed it. It wasn't always easy, to accept that he needed three sandwiches instead of one, or just a salad and forgo the bread completely, but when you could see the results of not eating enough within just a couple days...there was only so much you could ignore.

Prompto turned his last corner, and ran up the steps to the front porch where he did his cool down stretches, and then, sweaty and still panting, he went inside. In the kitchen, he found Gladio. Upon actually seeing him, Gladio grinned and came around the counter. "Morning."

"Hm, morning." Prompto pushed himself up to his tiptoes, and Gladio laughed and leaned down to close the difference. Prompto smiled into the kiss and mentally sighed at the euphoric feeling it sent through him. His nights might have been full of nightmares, but the rest of his life seemed to make up for it, Gladio's kisses, Noctis' laugh, and Ignis' cooking were all at the top of that list of better things. Speaking of Ignis though... "Where's Iggy?"

"Up and gone already," Gladio responded, reaching down to ruffle Prompto's hair. "I told him I could handle breakfast."

Prompto groaned, the pout he'd learned from Iris taking over his face. "I needed to talk to him," he whined. How did Ignis get ready so fast? He hadn't even been awake yet when Prompto had slipped out for his run!

"Yeah? What about?"

Heat filled his face unbidden and Prompto shrugged up his shoulders as though they could hide it. "Dancing," he mumbled.

"Dancing?"

"Yeah!" He lifted his hands in what he hoped was a beseeching movement. "For Luna's party!"

"You mean the Midsummer's Gala?" 

Okay. Yes. Prompto knew that it wasn't technically just _Luna's_ party, but Luna was the one he cared about. He tried to intensify his beseeching hand movements. "Yes! There is going to be fancy dancing, right? Like waltzes and stuff like that? I don't know how to waltz!"

Prompto could hear the laughter in Gladio's voice as he said, "And you think Iggy does?"

"Iggy _definitely_ does." You could see it in the way Ignis simply moved. Even his simple movements were practically slow dancing. His grace and elegance showed through in everything he did, right down to reading a book on the couch! In another life, Ignis would have probably been a dancer, not to mention that Prompto was pretty sure that Ignis was originally from the era in which some of the more classical dances had been popular and need-to-know.

"You're right," Gladio said, still laughing in his words and shaking his head, "Iggy _definitely_ knows that sort of dance, but he also taught Noctis and me how to dance. We could teach you too."

"Nah. It's gotta be Iggy," Prompto said, huffing stubbornly

"Yeah?" Gladio snorted, still sounding amused, rather than insulted.

"Yeah. It's...better to get it from the source. You know, Iggy taught you guys, so why should I get the knowledge secondhand, when I can get it straight from the source? Learn from the master and not his apprentices and all that."

Gladio full on laughed then, and Prompto's ears burned with embarrassment. At least he was laughing though, rather than upset, but then his heart dropped straight to pit of his stomach when Gladio said, "I think there's another reason you want Iggy to teach you."

"Ye-yeah?"

"Yeah," Gladio chortled, and leaned down to whisper into Prompto's ear. "I think that you really just want an excuse to get Ignis' _hands_ on you."

If it were possible to spontaneously combust, Prompto thought that just about now would be the right time to do it. There was a current of fear about how Gladio was going to take that news, and the embarrassment of him just saying it, but there was also the image in his head of Ignis standing right in front of him, close enough that he could feel his breathing, those hands, with those immaculately fitted gloves touching him far more intimately than Ignis normally allowed anyone, even Noctis, to touch him. One hand at his waist, the other in his own...maybe their fingers would entwine...maybe Ignis' fingers would dip lower than just his waist...

Quickly, Prompto's hands flew up to cover his face. "I feel so called out right now."

"Hmm," Gladio hummed, hands settling on Prompto's waist, his thumbs ghosting over his hipbones, just lightly enough that the motion sent shivers of want through him. "Don't worry. Remember, you're not the only one in our relationship more than a little bit in love with Iggy."

Right. Gladio was such a good, doting boyfriend to him that it was easy to forget that he was in love with Ignis too. Sometimes there were moments where Prompto would catch him staring at Ignis, while he was cooking or something, and it wasn't...leering, like he stared at his ass, though perhaps that would have been less painful to watch, but that he looked at his face, and there was a longing for something that Prompto could not describe. Then he would look away, and it was as though it hadn't happened, until next time. The thought was too heavy, and Prompto decided to make a joke and play it off. "Yeah, Noctis too, right?" Okay. Bad joke, because they both knew that Noctis had loved Ignis longer than they'd both been alive, combined even, but Gladio chuckled anyway.

"Yeah, Noct too. We've all got it pretty bad for Iggy."

"So...clearly the solution is to become his harem. That's how this works, right?"

This time Gladio full on laughed. "Maybe in anime."

"Hey! Anime is life! Clearly Iggy is the main character, who nosebleeds anytime one of us walks in the room, and we're all competing for his affections, but he just simply can't choose." Prompto put the back of his hand to his forehead and pretended to swoon dramatically. "And really the three of us are just nasty bitches who want to kill each other. Noct murders us in our sleep in the end, and Iggy cries at our funerals."

"I don't think that's generally how those end."

"No," Prompto sighed, "But it'd be a better ending."

"Hm, true." Gladio kissed his cheek, making Prompto heart flutter the same way it did every time he did it, and then he pulled away completely, making Prompto internally whine at the loss of his heat. "Go take your shower, and I'll have food waiting for you when you get out."

Prompto showered quickly under cold water that helped him cool off, and then dressed in his work clothing and made his way back out the kitchen, just, as Gladio had promised, as a plate filled with food was placed at the counter for him. "There's jam on the toast," Gladio said as Prompto went to pick it up, "Try not to get it all over your shirt." The grin on his face said he was teasing, but it was serious too. No one would take a photographer seriously if they showed up with strawberry jam all over their front.

"If you hurry," Gladio added idly as Prompto sat down with his food, "You could stop down at the cafe and ask Iggy if he'll teach you to dance."

"Nah," Prompto said, crinkling his nose, "I don't wanna disturb him at work." The cafe was Ignis' baby, he put a lot of hard work into it. It wasn't that Prompto really thought Ignis would get angry at him per se, if he were to show up for five minutes, but that it would probably seem unprofessional...and he was a little bit intimidated by the place, if they were being totally honest. He hadn't been in it since before it had opened. The idea of just strolling in among staff that had no idea who he was and demanding to see their boss? Yeah. He'd worked at a coffee shop, and hew knew how terrifying a "customer" asking for the boss was. No. Prompto would pass.

Down the hall, Noctis' door opened and their alpha slipped out. In a bit of a panic, Prompto looked at the clock, but no, he wasn't late. Hell, it was still really early. "You okay, buddy?" He called down, and, just barely, he saw Noctis lift a hand in a wave as he went into the bathroom. Prompto frowned. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't even felt hat groggy sticky feeling he normally felt when Noctis woke up, thinking even more deeply about it, he hadn't felt that feeling in almost a week. "He's okay, right?"

"Who? Noct?"

"Yeah. It's not even eight yet, and he's up and in the shower."

Gladio chuckled, and Prompto both heard and smelled the egg he cracked into the skillet. "Yeah. He said he was opening the shelter today. He was kind of excited, actually. First one to pet the cats this morning."

"Aww, how cute." Prompto chuckled before he bit into his toast. He'd had never expected their lazy, sleepy alpha to get a job, or Ignis either, really.

He knew Ignis liked to play the stocks, and he knew that they got a lot of their money that way, his analytical brain knew just where to move and save, and, just, Prompto couldn't understand all the terms and stuff. Ignis was just good at it.

Noctis himself was apparently plain Jane old money, like ancient money, and he and his father shared it equally. They even had weekly talks about it now that Noctis had moved his pack to Insomnia, so when Noctis had come home one day three months ago and proudly proclaimed that he had gotten himself a job at the nearest no kill shelter, Prompto was surprised, he was even more surprised to learn how animated Noctis could be when it came to petting cute little puds and making sure they got into their best possible "fur-ever homes."

After he'd gotten the job, Gladio, as a joke, had gotten him a shirt that said "The best beans are toe beans." Joke it might have been, and Prompto might laugh every time he saw it, but damn if Noctis didn't proudly wear that shirt at least once a week.

"When does the shelter open?" Gladio shrugged, signaling that he didn't know the answer, but some fifteen minutes later, Noct emerged from the bathroom showered and dressed for work, and Prompto asked the question again.

"Ten," was the answer that came out of still slightly not-quite-fully-awake lips, "but I gotta be there by nine."

"Cool, my first appointment's at nine-thirty. I can take you."

"Really?" Prompto grinned, biting back a little bit of a blush at the way Noct's face lit up, his blue eyes sparkling with delight at the very idea of getting to pet the cats on time. With no one else there, which was probably like, Noctis' literal dream come true. "That'd be great. Thanks."

"No prob."

For a second, it felt like Noct's happiness was the only thing in the room, and then the feeling faded from his chest when Noctis realized what they (well, his plate was empty now, so just Gladio) were eating. "I hope you don't expect me to eat that."

"Relax," Gladio grouched, "I got you Poptarts the other day. Some revolting limited edition flavor," he shook his head as he tried to remember what it was, "Peanut butter chocolate?"

"Sounds disgusting," Noctis said, chuckling as the delighted smile returned to his face, "Can't wait."

Less than five minutes later, Prompto knew for an absolute fact that he never wanted to ever smell peanut butter chocolate Poptarts ever again, yet the way their alpha sat in his chair, happily eating them, his sneakers scuffing the floor as he swung his feet back and forth made up for the disgusting chemical smell, and Prompto knew that he'd put up with that smell every morning, if Noctis also smiled so genuinely.

Soon enough, all the Poptarts had disappeared into Noct's stomach, and Gladio was getting up. "You headed back to bed?"

"Yeah," Gladio yawned for dramatic effect. "I'll see you this evening?"

Prompto nodded, "Last appointment's at three. Maybe I'll sneak in a nap with you when I get home."

"Hm," Gladio leaned down and pressed a kiss into the side of Prompto's head. His nose lingered, disturbing and tickling his hair, but Prompto found he could only chuckle at the affection, his heart swelling big with it. "That'd be nice."

All too quickly he was saying goodbye and goodnight (good morning?) to Gladio, and Noctis was dragging him out the door to get in the car.

Prompto felt that he'd had an excellent start to his day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have never had peanut butter chocolate pop tarts, but I do know they are a limited edition flavor that seems to pop up every couple years, and it sounds disgusting. As much as I love peanut butter chocolate everything else. Please do not be offended if you eat them and love them.
> 
> Also, yes, during the time gap, Prompto learned to drive. I have not written it yet, but I do plan on writing a more...comedic than anything else chapter for _Summer Home_ in which Prompto is getting his lessons. Prompto is...a passable driver, but Ignis will not stay in the car if Prompto is driving. He will simply get out.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday! Enjoy this week's chapter. <3333
> 
> P.S. Noctis loves cats. He will pet all the cats. ALL OF THEM.

"Are you sure you don't want to come in?"

"Dude, no." Prompto managed a sigh through his chuckling as Noct tried to give him puppy dog eyes, which was a much more effective method of getting Prompto to do what he wanted than Prompto cared to admit. "Seriously, I'm not gonna come in and get you fired because you let me in before opening."

"Oh, come on, they are not going to _fire_ me because I let my best friend and roommate come pet the dogs for five minutes." He watched as Noctis relaxed back into the car seat his eyes ceasing their puppy eyes attempt and staring at the front door of the small shelter. "It's not like the dogs get enough pets anyway. More than the cats, but still. They could all use a little love."

"Isn't that what the weekend volunteers are for?"

"Yeah, but like..." Noctis huffed. "Does Gladio ever _"pet"_ you enough?"

" _Dude_."

Noct smirked at the red flush spreading over his face, but continued on, "Seriously, the answer's no, right? He can't touch you enough. You're always wanting, right? Not just sexually, but just, you know," he shrugged his shoulders. "Even casually. Shoulder bumping, hugs, hand holding. Not even just Gladio, me and Specs too. You can't get over touched."

"No?" Noct was right, he guessed. Since he'd come to be comfortable with his pack, there was no such thing as a touch he didn't want from them. "I'd tell you guys if you did something I didn't want."

"Right," Noctis was smirking again, "Damn right you would. Animals are the same way. They tell you when they want or don't want something. Let me tell you, Prom, all the animals here only want more. Weekend volunteers, employees, and people looking to adopt don't fill their affection tank. And I know how much you like petting dogs." Yeah. Well. It wasn't like Prompto didn't show off his love of petting dogs at least once a week at Luna and Cindy's house.

The fact that he liked petting dogs was undeniable, and yet, "When you bring me a letter from your boss saying you won't get in trouble for bringing me in before opening to pet dogs, I'll come pet dogs."

"Fi-ine," Noct groaned, lifting his hands up in the air and letting them fall back down with a thud. "Have it your way. Your loss."

"Your _job_." Prompto shook his head, grinning. "You want me to come pick you up after work?"

"Nah, I'll hoof it, or take a bus. No big deal."

Prompto smiled, a sense of happiness fluttering in his chest. "It's nice."

"Hm? What's nice?"

"This? That you feel you're gonna have enough energy to walk home. Heck, that you've got enough energy for a job." That wasn't something Prompto could have imagined a year ago, that their sleepy alpha could drag himself out of bed to do actual work four or five days a week, even for a job like taking care of cats and dogs, which was something that Noctis seemed to be passionate about.

"Yeah," Noct huffed, "I've been feeling a lot better lately."

"That's good," Prompto chirped brightly, but Noctis frowned, and it dampened Prompto's own smile as well as the happiness inside him.

"It's...not really. Good, I mean. I gotta go back again soon. I don't wanna, because you're right, this is _super_ nice, and I'm gonna miss it, but I'm already pushing it." Before Prompto could ask what all that was supposed to mean exactly, Noctis pushed himself up in his seat, and began to open the car door. "I gotta go o in now. I'll see about getting that letter, okay?"

"...Sure?"

"I'll see you this evening."

"Okay."

Noctis smiled at him before he closed the door and went to unlock the shelter, leaving Prompto feeling more than a bit confused before he turned the car back on and drove out.

Prompto tried not to dwell on Noct's words, after all, he had four appointments that day. Three of them were just consolations, but his one o'clock was an actual shoot for an engagement announcement. Right now, the graduation season had just started, but seniors normally got their photos taken in fall, and that client base was long gone for the year. Now? Now was wedding season, which was more high stress, but also potentially far more lucrative.

He didn't have a base office, though Ignis said that if he got much more popular, he should look into getting one. He worked primarily from home, getting the pictures made, edited, printed, copied, and got most of his client base through word of mouth and the internet. He already had two weddings booked for June, though he was definitely keeping a four day window all to himself for Luna's Midsummer Gala. There was still a lot to do for that, and he really wanted to both be there and not fuck it up.

For potential clients they could book him online, or ask for consultations, which typically just meant meeting up at a coffee shop and going over everything in person. Parents of senior's generally didn't bother with the consultation, they looked at his online gallery and booked him for whatever time slot he had open, and he spent an hour or so with the lucky student in question, making them look nice and happy for the pictures they would share with the other students. He generally really liked that, the seniors were usually so excited or happy in a way he'd never been at that age. There was the occasional snippy exception, but, normally, everyone left those deals pleased, him, the student, and the parents.

Family portraits, and the odds and ends between seasons were mostly the same, but _weddings,_  they were just a whole other level of expectation and perfection. Some of the couples wanted him to be photographer and videographer, and, nope, sorry, Prompto Argentum was definitely not a professional videographer. Photos only, please. He didn't understand how people thought one person could do both at the same time, yet his first appointment turned out to expect just that, and he left the meeting knowing they wouldn't be coming back to him.

His second appointment turned out better, between coffee and a scone, Prompto was fairly certain that they were pleased with what he told them, and he was pleased that the actual date wasn't a rush order, but a nice day out in August, so he could look into getting a couple of particular filters that they were interested in.

After the second meeting he stopped for actual food at the nearest Crow's Nest, though eating alone at these kinds of places always felt oddly empty these days. He'd eaten alone all the time when he'd been younger, but now it was just...not right. Gladio, Noct, or Ignis should be sitting across from him, ideally some combination of the three, if not just all three. He wasn't alone very often, and he found that he didn't really want to be. He enjoyed and loved every member of his tiny pack, and spending time with them was a joy, never a chore. Still, it felt odd that he didn't like these sparse moments alone, and wished someone would fill them.

He barely felt the burger and fries slide down to this stomach, and left the scene as quickly as he could. Lingering by the peer while he waited for his third appointment would be less lonely and weird than staying here, wishing someone were sitting with him.

It ended up being a lucky thing he went a bit early. He'd only just parked his car and pulled up King's Knight on his phone (No one else was on, but he could do some solo grinding.) when his clients pulled up a few parking spots away and got on out.

They were a nice couple, at least by outward appearances. They were young, even younger than he and his pack looked, with that sort of half brown, half blond hair, and small frames that looked good in beach pictures. Even their outfits sort of said beach babe and bro, but they were polite, and the girl snorted dorkily when she laughed. Unlike some of the couples he'd already experienced, they were obviously in love. They held hands, and looked at each other adoringly, and Prompto found himself hoping that he and Gladio were like that when they got engaged.

Which was assuming they were going to get engaged, and that just made him blush and tap idly at his camera with one finger. "So, you guys just want some pictures of you against the water and on the docks, right?"

"Yeah, for cards," the woman said cheerfully, her smile a force all on its own. "That's okay, right?"

"Yeah!" Prompto said, nodding quickly. "I'll get the shots up on the site in a few days and mail you the password, then you pick what you want, and order it. I'll get it printed and sent to you within five days of that." This was all in the contract, of course, but Prompto had found that giving clients a refresher was always a good idea. "Nice and easy, right?"

"Certainly sounds that way."

"Then let's get to it. Tell me what you want first."

They wanted a little bit of everything, but the camera liked them and their happy smiles. Each of their candid shots ended up looking energetic and vivacious, and the sun in the sky with minimal clouds set it all off very nicely. It went off without a hitch until toward the very end.

"Do you think we could get some shots from the beachfront?" This side of the lake was all just rocks and pebbles, with no proper sandy beaches to its name, but for pictures like this, Prompto actually liked it better that way. There were only so many stagnant poses you could do on a stretch of still, fine sand, with beach-goers constantly getting in your way. With rocks of varying sizes, Prompto felt like they could do a lot more, and he really thought they might turn out to be the best pictures to choose from. The couple agreed eagerly, and down the docks and peer they went, slowly, so they they didn't fall or trip, but when they got down to the waterfront...yeah. Prompto liked this idea a lot. It smelled a bit like rot, but the local fishing docks weren't too far away, and it wasn't like people could see the smell in their pictures.

"Okay, so, see they really big rock over there?" They did, and he continued, "So I was thinking Miss Missus-to-Be could go sit on top of it, and, like, you could pretend to be proposing, which, I know, sounds super cheesy, but trust me, it's a classic. Then maybe you could get up on the rock with her, and wrap your around around each other, and just look ridiculously happy, which, let's be honest here, is super easy for you two." If they hadn't been sold before, the hopeful grin he flashed them set them over the edge, and the couple headed over to the rock, happily chattering amongst themselves as they went.

The rock in question was easily as big as all three of them put together, and maybe as big as all three of them plus Ignis. The young woman needed both time and a few larger stepping rocks to get up onto what was actually probably classified as a boulder, but she didn't want help, and so both Prompto and her fiance were reduced to somewhat nervously waiting for her to manage to get up by herself, without hurting herself. The feat took her at least two minutes, but she was grinning at her accomplishment.

"Maybe you should just climb up there with her," Prompto suggested. "Might be a little big to pull lakeside proposal off, after all."

"Nah, I like the idea, we should at least try, right?"

"Sure thing, if that's what you wan--" Prompto was cut off by the woman's scream, and without thinking about it, he jumped up to the top of the rock without a second thought. She wasn't hurt. He couldn't smell blood, but what he could smell was something that should have been obvious once he saw it. What he'd been smelling wasn't the fishy, salty smell of a fisherman's haul. No, what he saw now behind the rock was a person, blonde and blue eyed, staring blankly up at them as the gently ebb and flow of the lake lapped at her pale dead body.

The next thing Prompto would properly remember was a policeman whispering far enough away that he wouldn't have heard it with normal ears that the body had to be very new, for nothing had eaten her eyes. The words made him throw up his lunch.

He wasn't sure how much later it was when all his statements had been taken and he turned to find Gladio had come to take him home. Without thinking he rushed into those arms, pressing his face against his chest and inhaling his comforting scent. "Hey, it's okay." Gladio crooned at him, his large hands rubbing his back and making Prompto feel like he could breathe again. "We're going home now. Noct and Iggy are waiting. You want me to drive?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, not moving his face away from its safe spot. It was his first time seeing a dead body. He knew that he knew people that had killed, Ardyn (a name he kept trying to not even think anymore), Cor, hell, all three of his packmates and probably killed people before, when they'd had to. Not him. He'd never seen someone dead outside of a casket. Animals, sure, he killed animals monthly with his pack, but...not a person. _Of course_ he was shaken up, the policemen said so, Gladio said so too.

Still.

Even by those standards, Prompto felt he was overreacting as Gladio eased him into the passenger's seat and took over the driving. But why? She'd been dead, and he would never forget those glassy eyes looking up at but also not seeing him. Beyond that she hadn't looked horrifying, just wrong, smelled wrong. So why was he so affected by the sight?

He would be thinking on it for quite some time before the answer popped into his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cackles*


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I apologize if this chapter is subpar compared to the other ones. I wrote this chapter about a month ago when I was very ill with a stomach bug.
> 
> In other news, I continue to not know how long part two will be. IT JUST KEEPS GETTING LONGER.
> 
> Have a good day, and enjoy!

"She looked like me."

"Who looked like you?" Noct's voice rumbled against his back, his arms wrapped tightly around Prompto's waist from behind. Gladio was his boyfriend, but Noct had claimed the spot nearest to him as "alpha's right" the moment he'd come through the front door. It wasn't very often that Noctis got possessive like this, but right now it felt really good, and even though inside he was panicking and screaming, Noct's presence behind him, their bodies pressed together, was helping to keep him grounded and semi-sane.

"The lady. The...corpse," the word burned in his mouth. Corpse. It was just a word, but somehow it was worse than saying dead body, and he wished he hadn't said it. Corpse made it sound like there had been maggots in her eyes and skin rotting off her bones. It made him want to vomit again. He swallowed to resist the action. Corpse. Today he'd seen a corpse. He never wanted to see one again.

"Hm," Noct hummed. "I'm sure you're just projecting. I bet that by tomorrow she'll look totally different in your head."

Prompto knew that Noctis was just being comforting, trying to allay his fears and troubles, but, "No, like, I'm being serious here."

"Okay," he felt Noct shift, his arms hitching a little higher, and his shoulder became occupied by Noctis' chin. "I'm listening. What did she look like? As much detail as you can."

Prompto swallowed, hard, as the saliva in his mouth seemed to hit a lump in the back of his throat. "She...was blonde, and blue eyed."

"Which isn't that uncommon nowadays, Prom."

"Lemme finish." Noct didn't say anything else, and so Prompto took that as leave to continue. "She was wearing a hoodie, and a tank top, like I would. She was small. And she had...freckles." It hadn't been the first thing he'd taken in, but when he closed his eyes and saw the image of her cloudy dead eyes staring up at him imprinted on the back of them he could see them. She'd had a dusting of freckles across her cheeks and up into her hairline. "And...her hair was really kind of short." It wasn't styled like his was nowadays, but before and for a bit after _Ardyn_...yeah. It was similar enough that Prompto _knew_ they looked alike.

"Anything else?" Noctis mumbled into his shoulder.

"Like, I can't describe bone structure and stuff."

"Fair, I guess. Do you think she was murdered?"

Prompto closed his eyes again and tried to remember as many details as he could. There weren't any gaping holes in her head or chest, but, "She did have some dried blood on the side of her head?"

"That doesn't really mean murder though. She could have just fallen."

"I know!" He knew Noct was just trying to help, trying to make sure he kept himself from full on panic, but it really wasn't working. The more he kept thinking about it, the more he couldn't help but think that it wasn't a coincidence. Someone had meant for _Prompto_ to find her there, and had known that he would be at the pier at that time. Someone had been sending a message to him, and someone could only mean Ardyn.

Ardyn. None of them, Prompto included had seen Ardyn since that night over eighteen months ago now. Outside of nightmares dreamed up in the dead of night Prompto didn't really think about Ardyn all that much, and he had liked it that way. It had felt like his sleeping brain was trying to hold onto something he had finally been starting to let go of, properly move on from. That had been good. Now, Prompto knew that the man would pepper his thoughts day and night for a while. He hated it, and he was probably wrong, knew that he was probably overthinking it as he did a lot of stuff, but...what if he were right? What if Ardyn had come back now? What if he were trying to send a message? A warning? A threat? Look what he could do. Prompto knew what he could do, and placing a dead body among rocks for him to find was the least of it.

There was an awkward cough from the doorway. Prompto turned his head awkwardly around Noct's hairdo to see Gladio standing there, Prompto's phone resting crookedly in his hand. "All taken care of now, Prom."

"Were they mad?" He'd missed an appointment, after all. They'd had time and place all set up, and they were a wedding couple, looking for the person to take photographs of their special day, the pictures they'd hopefully cherish for the rest of their lives. Surely they were mad at him for not showing up. Surely they were furious that he'd stood them up, practically saying that he didn't care about the moments they'd want to share with family and friends in the future. Surely he'd lost clients here, and the potential clients he would have gotten by their word of mouth.

Prompto was wrong. "No, they were actually very understanding once I told them what had happened. Rescheduled for next week. I wrote the information down on your calendar for you."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Do you need me to do anything else?"

"No, it's okay." Prompto could hear the kitchen kettle whistling, and he grit his teeth at the irritating sound. He very nearly yelled when the sound of mugs clinking together followed. Why couldn't it just be quiet? He wanted it to be quiet. He could still hear the police sirens and the whispers of people behind the tape in his head. The sound of the lake against the shore would never feel the same to him. Where Noct's and Gladio's voices were calming and soothing against his eardrums, helping to bring him down from a ledge he could that he was standing on, the sounds of Ignis making tea were beyond irritating, temping him to teeter and fall.

Before Prompto had realized that he'd moved from the doorway, Gladio had settled in on the other side of him. The phone was set on his beside table before his boyfriend pulled out the book he was currently reading, and began to read aloud. It was the first in a series of books about a wizard that he hadn't yet told Prompto enough about to be able to follow, still, he allowed himself to try and be lulled into comfort by the sound of Gladio's reading, but it was destroyed the moment he heard the sound of clinking mugs in the kitchen again, followed swiftly by the smell of chamomile tea entering the room.

A mug was offered to Noct first, as food and drink almost always were. Dully, Prompto realized he still hadn't figured out whether it was done because Noct checked for contamination, or if it was just 'alpha always gets first dibs.' Today wasn't the day to ask.

"Thanks, Specs," Noct mrumbled as he detached himself from Prompto and took the mug. Gladio took his mug with a soft thanks too, but when the third mug was offered to Prompto, he didn't move.

"I don't want it, Iggy."

He heard Ignis sigh, soft and worried, and saw him kneel down in his peripheral vision, so that they were basically on the same eye level. So that he didn't talk down to him. That too was irritating.  "Please take it, Prompto. The warmth will make you feel better. Even if you don't drink it--"

"I said I don't want it, Ignis!" Prompto snapped, his anxiety and nerves hitting their breaking point all at once, and he reached out to push the proffered mug away, only to find that without looking, he'd misjudged the distance, and he hadn't just _pushed_ , but full on knocked the mug of scalding hot tea out of Ignis' hands. Some of it landed on the floor, but the sad truth was that most of it poured itself over Ignis' hands and bent legs. For an instant, just an instant, he felt a yelp of surprised pain in his chest before Ignis pulled it back inside himself, but that was enough to know that he did have burns. It was enough to know that Ignis _was_ in pain. It was enough to know that it was his fault. Shit.

"I'm so sorry!" He really truly was. His anger from moments before was gone, burned up in self hatred that he'd hurt his packmate, a packmate who had only been doing what he knew how to try and make him feel better.

"No," Ignis said, brushing off his apology with an intense harshness that immediately made Prompto fall silent, his heart hammering in his chest almost painfully. "It's my own fault, Prompto. I shouldn't have tried to push you to take it." He was standing up now, and it horrified Prompto to see how red his hands were. "I'll get this cleaned up and--"

"I got this," Noct interrupted, setting his mug with a soft clack against the bedside table.

"Are you sure, Noct? I can do it myself."

"Yeah. Go take care of yourself. I can handle a little tea on the floor." Ignis left the room then, and Prompto waited for Gladio or Noct to scold him. They didn't. Gladio continued to read, and Noctis did exactly what he said he would, he cleaned up the tea that had made it to the floor, and then settled back in behind Prompto and drank from his mug. Somehow not being scolded when he knew he'd done something wrong was worse.

It was nearly half an hour before Ignis returned in new clothes, and in the distance Prompto could hear the sound of the washer running. His hands were still red with irritation, though just barely so. Most of it had already healed. Seeing that was less of a relief than it should have been. "What should I make for dinner?" Ignis asked softly, his hands shifting to push into his pockets when he saw that Prompto was staring at them. No, Prompto wanted to tell him. Let him see. Let him see how he'd hurt him. Let him see the damage. He didn't say it though, he only looked away from Ignis' gaze.

Noctis simply waved him off with one hand. "Don't worry about it too much. Just order pizza or something. Comfort food. Don't go to any effort tonight. None of us need it."

There was something strained in the way he said, "All right," but Ignis did exactly that; he ordered pizza, and they sat around Prompto and Gladio's bedroom and ate it. After that, Noct stuck around and played King's Knight with him, but Ignis went to go wash the dishes. Even though it was still early, it wasn't too long after that they all went to bed. "You'll start to feel better after you sleep," Noctis promised. Truth be told, Prompto felt better and safer in Gladio's arms as he slowly began to fall asleep in the peaceful darkness of their room, with only the sound of Gladio's breathing and the occasional car driving by.

The nightmares were a colorful blur and a familiar laugh in his head when he later woke up screaming. They always were, but the emotions that twisted inside him were still very much clear and real as his voice box seemed to try and pry itself out of his throat. Fear, mind numbing fear, his legs feeling like he'd run a marathon he hadn't trained for, shock, and loss, mixed together in a cesspool of negativity. He _knew_ it wasn't real, whatever it was that he'd experienced in his sleep, but lack of clarity and the knowledge that it had taken place in his mind didn't mean the terror that gripped him wasn't real.

Gladio's arms around his waist puled him back into reality, "Shh, you're all right. You're here. I'm here. Nothing's gonna hurt you while I'm here." Fingers crept up into his hair, and Prompto dissolved into a trembling, sobbing mess. He turned himself into Gladio, his nose digging against his sternum, deeply breathing in his scent in an attempt to calm down himself down. Of course Gladio was right. Of course he was, but he needed the comfort anyway. He didn't want to be like this forever. He wanted this to be over. He wanted to dream of good things that made him wake in the morning feeling like life was great. Right now, life didn't feel great. Life felt like a horror movie.

They stayed like that, pressed together and breathing whispering words of comfort, until the door clicked open and Noctis crawled into their already cramped bed, and then they began to carefully arrange themselves back into proper sleeping positions, with Gladio on one side of him and Noctis on the other. Their scents commingled, and Prompto finally began to properly calm down. His boyfriend and his alpha were here. As long as he could smell them, he knew he was safe. Ardyn couldn't get to him, and dreams were only dreams.

After both Gladio and Noctis had fallen back asleep Prompto finally began to feel his eyelids drooping too as sleep began to overtake him again. He happened to look up to glance at the clock once, and noticed that door was still open, and standing there in the doorway was Ignis in his nightclothes, hair down, glasses absent as he watched them. Checking in, Prompto thought dully. Ignis was so good to them, getting up just to make sure they were still okay, even after he'd burned him earlier. Ignis was good, so good.

Thickly, Prompto opened his mouth to call to him. Come to bed with us. It's cramped. It's not Noct's bed, but come anyway. He wanted to say that, to invite him, but then he blinked, and the clock read an hour later than it had just a second before. The door was closed. Ignis was gone, and Prompto sadly noted that he hadn't come to bed with them before he turned over and fell back asleep once again.

In the morning, he didn't remember any of it at all, and Gladio called that a blessing. Prompto was inclined to agree.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think the last couple of chapters have been kind of short, I guess, at least compared to this one, which is much longer than I thought it was when I wrote it.
> 
> Enjoy this week's chapter! <3

Prompto spent the next couple of days trying to put the event of finding a dead body behind him. As he did with a lot of things, he tried to pretend that it hadn't happened at all, at least outwardly. He went for his morning run, kept to the usual route, and the same playlist. He kept trying to catch Ignis in those moments between when he woke up while Prompto was on his run, and the time he left, somehow always before he returned to the den. He kept failing.

During the day he went to his meetings or shoots, which were normally only one or two a day. In the evening he'd eat dinner with Gladio and Noctis, and wait for Ignis to come home from the cafe. They were all trying to pick up Ignis' "slack" from him being stuck so often at his new business, as well as his taking care of the apartments above the shop. It was a lot of work, more than any of the rest of them did, and so the rest of them were trying to pick up on cooking dinner for them.

Gladio was the best. He was able to throw together decent casseroles and could make excellent roasted chicken or steaks on the grill. Prompto was good with instant stuff or the simple things like spaghetti. Noctis...well, after the first couple of tries, Noctis was lucky he was allowed near the toaster, let alone the _stove_.

Ignis didn't complain about their cooking. He ate whatever they made when he came home and then watched them play whatever game they were playing or washed some dishes, and then went off to take a shower before he went to bed. Prompto couldn't blame him, he was running his own photography business from home and it was tiring enough, he couldn't imagine running cafe still in its beginning stages and being the landlord of the apartments above. Ignis must feel exhausted, and he tried not to make him more so. It made Prompto sigh though, between him being gone so quickly in the morning, and him being so tired at night, he was never going to get the chance to ask Ignis to teach him how to dance.

"Is he even going to take a few days off for the gala?" He asked Gladio one evening between Gladio getting ready for his shift, and Prompto waiting for his photos to develop.

"You mean, Iggy?"

"Uh, yeah? Noct's already put in for the days off." Prompto was actually pretty sure he'd done it the moment he'd gotten hired. He could just see it, Noctis walking in on his first day and already making it clear that he needed a week off in June. There was just no way Noct was going to miss Luna's celebration, now that he was near enough and settled enough to be invited. He knew Luna was excited to have them all there too, because Cindy said so. Cindy didn't go to the gala, she was too "mundane," and that made it kind of dangerous, all that aside from the fact that it was simply too fancy for her tastes. Having her best friend and his pack there would be a definite step up, according to Cindy.

"He'll probably take the day of off," Gladio said with a shrug. "But days? Plural? Never. Ignis can't stand being idle, and especially with him having a fledgling business to take care of now? We're lucky he said that he'll go at all."

"Everyone needs a vacation."

"You tell that to him. Let me know if he laughs at you." Prompto frowned at Gladio over his shoulder and Gladio only frowned back. "I'm serious, Prom. I've only known Iggy to have taken one vacation in all the time I've known him. He was pretty severely injured at the time, and it was practically an order from Regis that he do it. I spent that time looking after him, and by day three he was going stir crazy. Vacations must be forced, and even then, he doesn't really enjoy it."

"So the only way Iggy is going to take a vacation is if Noct orders him to."

"Yeah, and you know he won't." Prompto knew that was true too, but that wasn't really a bad thing. Noct was their alpha, but in general, he didn't like to step on their freedom unless it for their own good, like when it was full moon and Ignis needed the extra sleep. He wouldn't make Ignis take a vacation "just because." Ignis would have to be falling down on his feet.

"He will go to the gala though, right?"

"Oh, yeah," Gladio said, "He'll go. He'll distract Ravus for a couple hours, Luna will be happy, and then he'll go back to the cafe the next day."

"Are he and Ravus friends?" It sounded like an odd idea in his head. Prompto had yet to meet Luna's older brother, but Ignis himself had never made it sound like Ravus was pleasant, he made it sound like the opposite, actually.

"Noct once told me they have 'an understanding.' I've never met Ravus myself, probably for good reason, but Noct says that Ravus doesn't think Iggy's a _complete_ idiot and that's more than Ravus will say for most."

"Sounds like talking to Iggy will be the highlight of his own party."

"Possibly," Gladio snorted. "Sad though." It was sad, Prompto thought, almost as sad as the fact that Ignis couldn't take a few days off and just...be.

Things had just started to feel normal again after about three days when the next disaster struck. It wasn't Prompto's own disaster, but that didn't make it hit home any less violently. Something that affected one of the pack affected them all, especially when that one was their alpha.

It started out early in the morning, before Prompto had even gotten far enough in his daily routine to have gotten into his running clothes. It wasn't much at first, a crackling, as though someone were poking the embers of a fire too far gone to revived. It was odd, but Prompto didn't really think much of it. He just got odd sensations sometimes from his packmates. Sometimes they meant nothing, and other times they meant something that they didn't want you prying in.

By the time he'd changed his clothes it had gotten worse, and Prompto was starting to really worry. It wasn't just small dying embers anymore, but it was starting to feel like a fire that someone was about to throw a log on. Anger? No. It wasn't anger, frustration, or an argument, in fact it didn't feel like any emotion at all, it just felt like...force? Power? Strength?

Even as he tried to put a name to this crackle in his head he felt something release, and there was a crash from Noctis' room. Within nanoseconds, he heard Ignis' coming out of his room, and behind him, Gladio was fighting out the blankets while Prompto followed. "Iggy? What's going on?"

"Noct is losing control of his magic."

Prompto wasn't sure exactly what that meant. Noct's magic was still mostly a huge hole in his knowledge about things. He knew Noctis had magic, and he used it on occasion. He knew he couldn't use magic to heal, not that there was ever really any need for it among them. He knew he used pain to power it. He knew that when Noct talked about it, which he very rarely did, he talked about it like it was an entity inside him that shared his body, like the wolf, but even more primal. No matter what though, Noctis losing control of that thing inside him sounded _very_ bad, and so he picked up the pace, and skidded into place behind Ignis as he tried to pry open Noct's bedroom door.

Their alpha didn't have a lock on his door, he was open and available to all of them all the time, and Prompto knew that the lack of a lock on his bedroom door was a symbol of that. In fact, these days, he didn't even latch the door shut during the daytime, always leaving it just ajar once he was up and dressed. All of this made Ignis' struggle opening it baffling, until Ignis actually managed it.

It must have taken almost all of Ignis' strength to properly push the door open, and once he did gale force wind blasted Prompto in the face, and it was only his reflexes that prevented him from being beaned in the face with Noct's alarm clock as it rushed out to crash against the opposing wall. "This is Noct's magic?!" The wind was so loud, now that the door was open, that Prompto could barely hear himself, the wind simply whipped his voice up with it.

In front of him, Ignis nodded, "At its most basic!"

"How do we stop it?!" That was Gladio, finally catching up with them, only clad in his pajama bottoms, and, Prompto thought, too open and vulnerable to what was going on in that room. It was a good question though, one that Prompto couldn't even imagine the answer to. What was going on in that room, what little he could properly see, was a force of nature. You couldn't stop it, only wait for it to wear itself out, like a storm.

When Ignis answered, he made it sound ridiculously simple. "One of us must get close enough to touch him!"

"That's it?" Gladio voiced Prompto's own thought, but Ignis nodded his head.

"It sounds simpler than it is!" He yelled above the wind. "But the touch will ground him! Or...it has in the past!" Ignis walked into the room then, and Prompto quickly followed.

If standing outside the room had felt like a gale, standing in the room felt like a hurricane. Prompto could barely keep his eyes open to see what was going on around him, but he could barely make out Noctis, floating above his bed like it were the game over screen in _Kingdom Hearts_. That was the goal, getting close enough to him to grab onto some part of him. Was Ignis really right? Would that be enough to make this wind stop?

Prompto ducked to avoid a CD case. This couldn't go on. The room would actually be destroyed if it kept on going. They had to try.

Just taking one step forward was like trying to run a marathon. Beside him, Prompto thought Ignis was making it look easy, if slow. Behind them, Gladio wasn't trying to reach Noctis. Instead, he stood in the doorway and yelled at them when objects were on a collision course. It helped. Any object that hit them would naturally knock them back, if it were anything more than a sock.

Overhead something crackled and boomed. "Uh! Was that thunder and lightning?!"

"Sure was!" Gladio answered with a note of terror buried in his voice.

Yeah. No thanks! It was time to put a stop to this before it started raining in the freaking room! "I'm gonna run it, Iggy! Cover me!"

"Prompto! No!" Ignis' objections came too late. Prompto had already dug his heels and pushed forward. He had dreams sometimes that felt like this. Running, running, as fast as he could, but no matter how fast he ran, he only moved at a pace slower than a walk, and whatever was behind him, was quickly gaining. In this case, what was behind him was the storm brewing in Noctis' room, and the objects already swept up in the wind.

His feet barely seemed to hit the floor, the wind was now simply sucking the air right out of his lungs. He couldn't last long like this, but he hoped he wouldn't have to. When the lightheadedness truly began to sink in he was still several feet away from Noct's prone, floating form, and Prompto made a split second decision. He leaped forward, knowing full well that the wind might simply blow him back, but also knowing that if he didn't do it, he'd never get there.

It was enough. It seemed like his fingers just barely grazed along the outer edges of Noct's wrist, but it was enough. The wind stopped instantly, and things the air fell straight down to the ground. Prompto and Noctis too simply fell straight down. Noct slamming into the center of his bed, Prompto half on, and half off. It hurt, and what little air had been in him was forced out, and he struggled to breathe in again. It was good though. He'd be okay, and Noct would be okay. He couldn't speak for the things in Noct's room, but they were just _things_ , and Noctis would replace what he needed to.

"Are you all right?!" He felt Gladio's hand on his back, gently rubbing, and he felt Ignis' heat next to him.

" 'M fine. What about you guys?"

"I'm good."

"Fine." Prompto looked up at his packmates. Gladio did look just fine, and that kind of made sense, since he'd been directing from the doorway. When he looked up at Ignis, he saw a trickle of blood running down the side of his face, and he gasped. Ignis may had said fine, but it was obvious that at some point, he hadn't been able to dodge an object.

"Iggy--"

"It's fine. Just a glancing blow. It'll heal." His tone left no room for argument, and Prompto found himself meekly nodding, even though he wanted to see for himself, to make sure that Ignis was all right for himself.

"Will Noct be all right?"

Ignis nodded, his arms coming up to cross over his chest defensively. "Yes, he'll remain asleep for a couple of hours, but then he'll wake. He'll be hungry and he'll feel weak, but it will be a while before he loses control like that again." Ignis said a while, but how long was 'a while?' Hours? Days? Weeks? This had truly been terrifying, Prompto could feel it in the way he still felt breathless and shaky. When he'd been in the middle of it, he'd been much calmer, as though he knew he could start to freak out when it was over, but now that over was here...he never wanted to experience something like that again.

He knew now exactly how terrifying Noct could be, if he wanted to be.

"Do you want me to take care of him?" Ignis' voice pierced his brain, and, a little jerkily, Prompto shook his head no.

"No, I -- I can do it. I want to do it." It wasn't a lie. Getting Noctis back under his covers and starting to pick up in here would give him something to do that would occupy his thoughts. He'd feel better, more accomplished, and stable if he did this.

"All right," Ignis said softly, and Gladio's hand left his back, leaving a cold spot where he'd been rubbing.

"While Prom's taking care of that, can I talk to you?"

"Of course," Prompto didn't look up as he heard them leave the room, and only moved after he finally heard the door click softly behind him.

Once they were gone, Prompto became aware of the rushing buzz in his ears that had replaced the sound of the wind, and the silence around him grew big and eerie. It would fade in a few minutes, he knew, but without anyone talking around him, it was nearly overwhelming. Outside he could hear Ignis and Gladio talking, but they had lowered their voices down to a volume that he couldn't make out what they were saying. It was probably serious.

With a sigh, Prompto set about the work he'd promised he'd do. Getting Noctis under the covers was an easy enough task. He was dead weight, but that meant he also didn't resist as Prompto picked him up and rearranged him properly. Noctis was an expressive sleeper, with his octopus arms and the little emotions that would come through now and then, but right now, it was obvious that he wasn't really _sleeping_. He didn't move, he didn't seek out Prompto next to him, he didn't even grumble and turn over because he'd been woken up too early. He just lay there, lips lightly parted and expression blank.

It was almost like he was dead.

A shudder went through him at the very thought. No. Nope. Noct wasn't allowed to ever die. Ever. He'd better just push all that out of his head now. They needed their alpha. He was sure Noct would be okay, this was just...an accident. It had obviously happened before, but not often. They'd figure it out.

Prompto forced himself to look away from Noct and turn to the task of picking up this things, which were, quite literally, strewn all over the room. The things that he found whole and intact he put away as best he could. Noctis didn't really have an organization system, per se, and so knowing precisely where things went was almost impossible, but more possible was making a pile of the things that were broken beyond repair, like the alarm clock he knew had shattered against the wall outside the door.

He had finally gotten all of Noct's CDs set on one shelf and had been about to turn his attention to his comic books when he heard Gladio raise his voice. "Do you even hear yourself right now?!"

"And do you hear yourself?!" And that was Ignis. Yelling. Emotionally. Something Ignis didn't do.

Prompto ran to the door, prying it open with more force than he'd intended, and running past the broken alarm clock and to the living room where his packmates were talking - yelling.

"Yeah! I do! And I think I'm the one actually looking at this from a logical standpoint! It has to happen, Ignis! You know that!"

"Then why don't you do it, Gladio?! See how you like _maiming_ him!"

"Because it has to be you! Because he loves you the most!"

There was a part of Prompto that felt he was watching this happen from another space. As though he weren't there, with them, or like he was reading a book, or watching a movie. It wasn't his fight, not his business, even though he could feel the desperate, scared feeling that danced through Gladio's veins in his chest. Ignis, as he ever was, unless he chose to let you feel it, was walled up. He shared nothing, but for once, Prompto felt like he could glean Ignis' mental state just from the way he was standing.

Though he wasn't particularly wide in the shoulders, Ignis wasn't what one would call a small man. He was easily several inches taller than both Prompto and Noctis, and it wasn't just his actual physical appearance. Though the reality was that Gladio was tall and big, far taller and bigger than Ignis, Prompto never really thought about it like that. It was the way Ignis held himself, high and proud as their second in command, that made them seem equal in size.

It wasn't like that right now.

Right now, Ignis stood, leaning back, while Gladio leaned forward. His arms were crossed as a physical barrier between them, proof that Ignis was feeling threatened. As Prompto watched, the hand that was visible curled into a fist, and Prompto knew that Ignis felt strain, and possibly anger at the words Gladio had thrown at him.

"That's not how it works, Gladio," the words were whispered and dangerous in the way a cornered animal was dangerous - about three seconds away from lashing out at the person who cornered them, but Gladio wasn't listening to the tells. Instead, he pushed on.

"That's exactly how it works! It's gotta be his most beloved person! You wanna know how I know that? Because I tried to take the burden from you a couple cycles back. I _tried_. I asked him if I could do it instead, and he told me why it had to be you. He told me it's because he loves you the more than anyone else in the world!"

For a second, Prompto thought Gladio had gone too far, and when Ignis' jaw set, Prompto took a step forward, as though he could hold him back, but Ignis opened his mouth again, Prompto sighed, and remained rooted to his spot. "Even if that were the truth he told you, Gladio, which it isn't, I am far from his most beloved. Especially now." Ignis turned his head, and their eyes met. Prompto knew then that Ignis meant _him_. Ignis was counting Prompto as Noctis' most precious person. It wasn't true, Prompto knew. Gladio was right, Noct definitely adored Ignis more than anyone, but apparently that wasn't what Ignis saw.

A vision from what felt like so very long ago returned to him. His day before his first hunt, when Noct had sat at the dinner table slicing strawberries confessing his insecurities. Noct had said it then, that Ignis didn't think he cared about him, or paid attention to him. Noct had underestimated how _deeply_ Ignis felt that way.

"Iggy, listen to me--"

"No. Gladio. I'm done. _You will stop_." The order slid over Prompto like a rush of cold water, and Gladio stopped. Gladio had no choice.

Prompto rushed forward then, remembering for the first time that he was here to help ease them through things like this. He didn't dare reach out and try to touch him right now, but he pushed his aura outward, and tried to let comfort sink into Ignis' bones. Ignis turned to face him fully, a soft smile gracing his face, but his shoulders and stance didn't relax, and inside him Prompto's wolf howled and cried, because he knew that he wasn't easing the pain Ignis felt.

What good was he as an omega wolf, if he couldn't ease the strain and suffering of the men he loved?

"Do you have any appointments today, Prompto?"

Quickly, Prompto shook his head. "No. I just need to develop some more pictures, and upload them to the site for the customers."

"Would you do me a favor then?" This time, Prompto nodded, feeling like he was tripping over himself to please Ignis. He'd do anything. "Watch over Noct for me while I'm gone? He won't need much. He'll want pizza and soda, and he'll probably want to watch movies while he recovers. He'll feel upset at himself as well. Do tell him it's not his fault. It's mine, and I'll beg his forgiveness when I return home."

Noct wouldn't want it, Prompto was sure, but he nodded again anyway, and Ignis smiled a little wider. It only made his face look sadder. "Thank you, Prompto. I'll see you this evening." Ignis walked past him then, and straight off to the bathroom he used to shower and get ready in the morning. Behind him, Gladio took in a shuddering breath once he was gone from their sight.

"What was that about?!" Prompto asked, his heart pounding in his chest, panic filling him to his ears. Never, not once in all the time he'd been here, had any of them argued like that. It wasn't healthy, Noctis would say. They had to talk calmly, listen, but this had been nothing like that! "Why were you fighting?!"

Gladio sighed, and shook his head a little before he answered. "Noct...doesn't normally lose control like that. Only when he's feeling too healthy. I've never actually seen it, but he's described it, and described how he keeps it in check."

"With pain. He takes it from us when we change, makes it his own." That had been explained to him a long time ago. He knew about that. He thought it was good of Noct to try and protect them.

Gladio nodded. "It's...more than that." His face scrunched up into something painful. "I'm no magician, I dunno how it works precisely, or why, but he take a wound, something that would kill a normal person, makes it last years. Uses it to filter out and maintain control. Somehow. Don't ask me. Iggy is the one who inflicts it. Has from the start." Gladio paused, and Prompto filled in the blanks for him.

"Because he loves Iggy more than anyone else."

"Yeah. So it hurts to have him do it more than anyone else, and that makes it effective, I guess."

"But Iggy doesn't know that's why." Another nod. "It's...like Noct to not tell him."

Gladio snorted. "It is. Never been overly good at talking about how he feels. Probably thought at the time that he was sparing him, but now it's causing problems. Cause...it's starting to look like he can't stand to do it anymore."

"I can't blame him." The very thought of doing that to Noctis, to any of them, tore at his soul. He loved them all with the entirety of his heart. To cause them pain would rip him to shreds. The fact that Ignis had been doing it for decades...Prompto knew he wasn't that strong, but even Ignis had to have his breaking point.

Gladio knew it too. "Neither can I, really. It still needs to be done."

Silence stretched between them, neither one of them looking at the other, until Prompto found that he was twiddling his thumbs and biting his lip to delay asking the next question. He braced himself with a deep breath and asked, "What happens if Iggy doesn't do it?" Did this hurricane of magic inside the house continue? Would Noctis implode? What?

"I don't know, Prom, but I imagine it's nothing good."


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have much of anything to say this week, but I hope you all enjoy!

When Noctis woke up, Prompto was sitting at his laptop, uploading photographs to his site for his clients to choose from. Prompto could tell he was awake by a groan, and a rather loud shifting of blankets through the open door to his bedroom, and Prompto smiled. All in all, that seemed pretty normal for Noct. "I'm out here, Noct!"

Another groggy groan was his initial reply, and Prompto chuckled to himself, waiting. It would probably take a couple minutes, but he knew Noctis would join him, and then maybe they could talk. Sure enough, a couple minutes later, Noctis shuffled on out of his room, covered up in a blanket like it was a hooded cape, and he lazily arranged himself on the chair next to him. A wave of affection went through Prompto at the sight. Typical Noctis. "You okay?"

"I'll be fine," Noctis grouched. "Just tired. What about you guys? Anyone get hurt?"

"Gladio's fine. He's sleeping."

"Yeah."

"I got the wind knocked out of me, but otherwise okay."

"Okay." Prompto paused, and Noctis picked up on it right away, his head lifting, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "And Specs?"

"He..." Prompto made a face as he tried to think of a way to downplay it to Noct without outright lying. The injury itself hadn't been serious, as Ignis had said at the time, but it was _Ignis_ , and Noct was sure to be sensitive about it. "He got hit by a CD or something. Bled a little." Okay, maybe more than a little, because it had been a head wound, but still, not terrible. By the time he'd actually rushed out the door to the cafe, Prompto hadn't been able to smell any blood at all.

"Dammit." Noctis hissed between his teeth. "It's always him that gets hurt."

"That seems like a teeny bit of an exaggeration."

"It's really not, just...no offense, you haven't been here long enough to see it." Prompto didn't take offense, because it was true. Ignis had been around Noct all his life, and Gladio too had grown up in the pack, if not yet a werewolf. Relatively, he was very new to their lives. He was actually really lucky. They had taken him in as one of their own instantly, and even though he was still learning, and finding out things he didn't know (like... _everything_ about Noct's magic, apparently.) he didn't feel like they left him out. They were pack. They were family. He belonged. How could he be offended by that, when all that he really lacked was the time that would come with...time? "Did Specs go into the cafe anyway?"

Prompto nodded. "Told me to take care of you when you woke up. Said he'll beg your forgiveness when he gets home."

"For _what_?"

"Letting you lose control."

Noctis groaned in frustration, and Prompto jumped when his head hit the table with a thump. "It's not his fault! I'm the idiot who can't go without it." The wound, Prompto realized, his heart sinking in his chest. He was talking about the wound.

"Gladio...told me what Iggy's gotta do."

"Yeah?"

Prompto nodded, his hands trembling just a little as he reached up and closed the laptop. "He and Iggy had argument this morning. Iggy...doesn't think he can do it anymore." When Noctis said nothing to that, Prompto pushed on. "Isn't there something else that you could do? Anything? Does it really have to be him? Or--" Prompto was cut off by Noctis grumbling something into his arms so incoherently that, even at this distance, Prompto couldn't properly hear him. "What was that?"

" _Mate_." Noctis said much more loudly, lifting his head just a little. "I could mate. Then we'd share the magic, and it'd all be good."

"Okay?" Prompto said raising an eyebrow. "So why don't you...mate?" He knew he was making it sound more simple than it was. Both he and Gladio had agreed that they'd like to be mates, but they hadn't actually done it yet. Prompto knew the way they both felt about...the rest of their pack was probably a big part of why. It was something unresolved between them, and so neither had formally asked the question yet, but Noctis-- "It's gotta be Iggy, yeah?" It wasn't just a matter of picking someone and asking them. It was a matter of heart and wolf too. The wolf wouldn't mate with just anyone. They had to approve, and though Prompto knew Noctis wasn't great at talking about emotions, he knew Ignis was special to him, more special than he or Gladio. It wasn't an insult, it just was. Prompto and Gladio were special to each other, no matter how they loved Ignis and Noctis too. Prompto knew the opposite was true for Noctis and Ignis, they loved them, but they were special to each other on a whole other level. "Only Iggy?"

The saddest sigh Prompto thought he'd ever heard passed Noct's lips, and he nodded, his eyes determinedly focused on his laptop. "Only Specs."

"So why haven't you told him? Are you that afraid of rejection?" The idea that Noctis was that afraid of anything seemed farfetched, not to say that Noctis wasn't afraid of anything. Both Prompto and Noctis shared a healthy and logical fear and distaste for anything with more than four legs, and Prompto totally understood the anxiety and fears surrounding one's crushes, but the fact remained that this was Ignis. Noctis had known Ignis forever, and Noctis was so confident about almost everything else. Surely he knew he could handle this.

"I'm..." Noctis shut his eyes tightly. "I'm more afraid that he'll say _yes_."

"What? Dude, that doesn't even make sense."

"Yeah, it does. Like. Listen." Noct huffed, his shoulders rising and falling dramatically with the sound. "I'm Ignis' _job_. Have been since I was born. He's taken care of me, he's made sacrifices for me, practically everything about his life is for me. Making sure I'm okay and that I basically get what I want is his job. So I'm afraid that if I told him what I really wanted was him--" Noctis' words paused for just a second, and Prompto picked them up and finished.

"--He'd say yes because he's supposed to give you what you want. Not because he loves and wants you back."

"...Yeah." If it were possible, Noctis sunk even more against the tabletop, and Prompto didn't think he'd ever seen his alpha look so defeated. "I want him to say yes because he _loves_ me, not because he thinks he has to and his wolf says it's okay."

It made a certain amount of sense. Ignis was very duty bound, and not just with Noctis, but with all of them. Until recently, he'd done all the cooking, he'd done most of the cleaning, even when Prompto tried to pick up the slack, he'd done the laundry, he'd even done the shopping. At times it had seemed like Ignis was more their live in servant than their second in command. He was lovable, funny, and warm, but there was a certain amount of _separate_ he kept himself, a level he held himself at that he didn't hold them to. Gladio said he'd known a different side of Ignis, when they'd dated, a side that relaxed and indulged when they were together. He also said it had promptly vanished when they'd broken up, and sometimes he wondered if he'd imagined it. Ignis was selfless and kind to a fault.

Prompto knew that was part of why Noctis had bought the cafe. It hadn't been a cafe at first, though the switch over to a place that made food at been an easy one on purpose. Noctis had bought it specifically for Ignis, so that Ignis would have something of his own, something he didn't have to share with any of them. It gave them the opportunity to prove to Ignis that they could do it without his doing it all for them, that he didn't have to worry so much. He could have the cafe, and come home at night to them, and they were all right. He didn't need to hover.

Yeah. Prompto could definitely see where Noctis was coming from, but Noctis hadn't seen Ignis that morning. "I think you should go for it. I was here, when they were arguing over it. I saw his face when Gladio tried to tell him that you loved him. He was really hurt. Someone who doesn't want that person to love them and thinks they don't doesn't get hurt like that. I think he'd be really happy, if you told him you loved him. I think he'd be even happier if you asked him to be your mate, especially if it meant you didn't need to...get your back carved out or whatever."

Noctis didn't verbally respond for a while, and Prompto had just decided that it was probably time to let it go when he finally mumbled, "He deserves someone whole."

Prompto quirked an eyebrow. "You missing a leg I didn't know about there, buddy?"

He tried to hide it, but Prompto saw the smile tugging at Noct's lips, before he nuzzled his face back into his arm. "I mean my sexuality. It's broken."

Ah. Yeah. That could be a problem, but, "You're not broken."

"Kind of am. I love him, but I don't want him in bed. What kind of person loves a guy, but doesn't want to sleep with them? I mean I would. I'd sleep with him, if he asked, but he knows I'm asexual. He'd never ask. I'd never ask. It'd be bad for him. He'd need it eventually."

"So...you talk about it. You gotta talk about things sometimes."

"I'm bad at talking."

"You're doing great with me. Now you just...gotta do it with him."

"Hm." And...as though to prove his point, Noctis kind of shut down after that. Too much talking about feelings for one day, Prompto supposed. They ended up ordering pizza, just like Ignis had suggested, and then basically passed out on the couch watching action flicks. When Gladio woke up in the afternoon, they ordered more pizza, and watched more movies. If it hadn't been for that morning, Prompto would have said that it had been a good day, even Ignis smiled a little when he came home just before sunset to find two pizzas of his own waiting for him.

Gladio was already gone to work, when the doorbell rang. "It's like ten o'clock." Prompto said with a frown, pushing himself up from the couch while Noctis paused their game.

"Go ahead and answer it, but be careful, and I'm right behind you."

Yeah. That certainly reminded Prompto of all the beasties and nasties that could lurk out after nightfall. A werewolf was far from the worst thing a person could encounter most of the time. Just thinking about it made Prompto gulp, but he nodded, more to reassure himself than to answer Noct, and answered the door.

What stood on their porch was what Prompto would have once called a very pretty lady. Well. She was still a very pretty lady, but now his nose told him that underneath the pretty was something he very much didn't want to touch. It wasn't something he'd run into before, but there was the scent of blood and faint decay, mostly covered by what Prompto could only describe as a kickass perfume. Smokey eyes, perfectly painted lips, and ash blonde hair couldn't cover up the smell of danger.

It was Noctis who put a name to what she was. "Take a step back, Prom, and don't look her in the eye. That's a vampire."

The pretty lady smirked. "You don't have to say it with such disdain, you know."

"Kinda do," Noct said with a frown in his voice. "I mean, once you've been kidnapped for the purpose of being a vampire's living werewolf blood bank...yeah. Kinda do."

"That was you?"

"Sure was."

The woman laughed. It wasn't a nice or kind laugh, but Prompto suspected that she was genuinely amused, and he also suspected that was as good as it was gonna get. "Ieoldas was super fucking pissed off when you didn't get there, I'll have you know."

"He'll live. Or wait. He won't. Vampires are already dead. My bad."

The woman snorted. "I think I like you. Good. Makes this easier. Which one of you found my girl the other day? One of you two? Or are there more of you?"

"Your girl?" Prompto asked, raising an eyebrow while he continued to stare at her booted feet.

"Yeah. Her body was found near here? Blonde, blue eyed, freckled...sort of like you, kid, now that I'm thinking about it."

Prompto squeaked. Yeah. That definitely sounded like she was describing...her. "That...would be me."

"Great. What do you know?"

Prompto lifted his head, almost forgetting that he wasn't supposed to look her in the eye. "About?"

"About how she got there, of course. Vampires generally don't pick up and travel six hours away and wind up wedged between a rock and a pier staring up at the sun. Especially not _my_ vampires. I take good care of mine. Unlike Mr. Man who apparently tried to abscond with your boy here." Prompto could see the woman make a gesture toward Noctis with her thumb, and Prompto bit his lip.

The truth was he didn't know anything. He really didn't. The woman had been there, and he and his clients had happened to find her. He did think that the poor girl had been planted there specifically for him, but -- "I didn't even know she was a vampire. Don't...vampires turn to dust when they die? Or like in sunlight?"

"Only if they've been undead long enough." That wasn't the woman's voice, nor was it Noct's. That was Ignis, behind him and Noct. He must have just gotten out of his shower, and a quick smell confirmed it. The scent of steam mixed with Ignis' shampoo and soap. In that moment, it wasn't Gladio he wanted to run to for comfort. It was Ignis. He wanted to run to him and drown himself in the feel of his skin and scent, and... He blushed at the thought as it continued straight down into the gutter. He shouldn't think like that. Not when Noctis and him were...having problems. "You would turn to dust in sunlight, wouldn't you, Aranea?"

"You heard of me? I'm flattered."

"Ah, I see you don't recognize me. I'm not offended. It _was_ a long time ago. You were a little smaller."

"Wait." Prompto moved, flattening his back against the wall, as though this would protect him from the woman's inspection. "Ignis? Ignis Scientia?!" She laughed, it was higher, more elated this time. "You're still alive, you bastard! That's the best news I've heard all year! Come give us a hug."

"I'd rather not." Prompto internally flinched at the disgust that dripped from Ignis' tongue.

"Aw, come on, I promise not to kick you in the shin this time!"

"Absolutely not." Prompto dared to spare a glance at Aranea's face, and it was pulled together in a pout that even Prompto had no doubt was one hundred percent put on.

"You know her, Specs?"

"Not anymore," Ignis said indignantly. "Really, she's but a relic from my human life."

"We were going to be married, don't downplay it," Aranea put on a very good show of being what Prompto would call a 'Disney princess.' Her hands clasped together by her face, head tilted, complete with wistful sigh. "My first fiance. So handsome, so mature, so down to earth. Everyone was shocked when you ran away."

"They shouldn't have been, considering I made it crystal clear how I felt about marrying a girl half my age, a girl who made quite the habit of abusing her suitors."

Aranea shrugged and the Disney princess act was gone. "I did what I had to."

"As did I."

"And look at us now, still kicking, sort of young, with families of our own. I personally would very much like to know what happened to my sister." Aranea's voice changed from sugar sweet to low and almost a growl instantly, and Prompto bit back a whimper as he looked back to Ignis, who met his gaze and nodded.

"Go ahead and tell her what you saw, tell her what you feel too."

"Okay."

"It would be more pleasant if we could do this sitting at your dining room table," Aranea commented offhandedly, and though Prompto himself nearly ran at the way Noctis snarled, she merely laughed again. "That's a no, huh?"

"Yeah," Noctis growled. "That's a _no_."

Both Noctis and Ignis refused to leave Prompto alone with Aranea, and so Prompto ended up sitting a few feet back from the threshold, with Aranea sitting on their welcome mat as he told her what had happened and how he felt, both during the event and after. It wasn't much, all in all it only took about five minutes, but when he was finished, Aranea smiled at him. When she spoke, her voice was different, softer, more genuine. "Thanks, kid. It isn't much, but I appreciate it. If your alpha agrees, I'd like your phone number, so I can tell you if I find anything that might come back to you, since you're worried about that." Aranea's eyes shifted to look behind Prompto, and a moment later, Noctis spoke, his voice thick and gritty.

"No meeting up alone, but otherwise, okay."

They exchanged numbers, and Prompto recognized Aranea's as a South Gralea number. It sent a shiver through his body to realize that it would have been possible for him to have run into Aranea or one of "hers" back when he'd still been human. Would that have been better or worse than running into Ardyn? "Okay, your number's saved. I really would like to know if anything comes up."

"Don't worry, shortcake. I'll let you know." Aranea left without a proper goodbye then, and Noctis rushed forward and slammed the door shut behind her. As Prompto watched him walk back toward the living room, he noticed that he was trembling, just slightly. Perhaps it wouldn't be a good idea to ask all his new questions now, but as he sat down on the coach next to Noct, he found he couldn't wait, not with the way they buzzed in his head.

"So...the vampire-werewolf rivalry you always see in movies is a real thing?"

Noctis laughed, which was good, but it was a shaky, scared sort of laugh, and that was bad. "Not really a rivalry," he began as he answered. "It's honestly more hunter/prey, and we're the prey." His alpha sighed, and sat his head in his hands before continuing. "Vampires are really dangerous, obviously. In general though, there's a sort of...unspoken agreement that we don't mess with them and they don't mess with us. Unlike movies, vampires can't survive on animal blood, but they can survive on werewolf blood, or fae blood. A vampire dumb enough to attack a fae isn't gonna live long, but a werewolf...It's sort of like attacking a bear. Dumb, but if you do it right, you'll survive, and you'll get a nice reward."

"What kind a reward?"

"Drugs?" Noctis said with a frown, and Prompto frowned too.

Ignis sighed as he sat down in his chair. "Drugs is a simplified way of saying it, Noctis."

Noctis shrugged. "Seems pretty accurate to me. If a vampire drinks the blood of a werewolf, it served as like...a stat boost. They get stronger and feel better. I have heard it does feel quite like a high, only it doesn't impair judgement, not for the short term. A taste of our blood is sweet, and enough for the vampire to gain control over us, allowing them to feed again, without the cost of...fighting the bear. It's addictive thing though, if you have it too much. Human blood no longer is enough, the need for it drives them mad, it will eventually kill them if they can't get it."

"So, yeah...like a drug." A weird, crazy, living drug, but drug. It was insane to think that if Aranea bit him she'd get a high of sorts. Super freaking weird, but he believed it. He didn't think Noct and Ignis would have been quite so protective if it weren't true.

Ignis sighed. "Simplified, but yes, "like a drug." A drug whose friends will come murder you all if you take it."

"So seriously," Noct said lifting his head out of his hands at last. "No meeting up with her alone, and you show me any texts she sends, and tell me any calls she makes. She could really fuck you up."

"She seemed nice enough?" Abrasive, guarded, but nice, underneath it all.

Noctis snorted. "A nice person doesn't become master of a Seethe."

"Seethe?"

"Sort of their version of pack, if we're simplifying things," Ignis said softly.

Noct shook his head. "Except without all the nice things like knowing when we're in danger and sharing emotions when needed. Vampires have quite a few weaknesses, to make up for those strengths, sunlight is one, and they truly can't enter a home without permission, as you saw tonight. Another is that they generally can't survive alone."

"Like wolves."

"No," Noct said immediately, pressing the tips of his fingers to his lips as he concentrated on answering. "A wolf _can_ survive alone, it's just not good for us. They go crazy," as Prompto knew very well. He suppressed a shudder thinking about Ardyn. "Wolves can survive with human pack, if they do it right. Not vampires. Vampires need blood, but not just normal human blood. They need to drink from a master to remain living their undead lives, in return, the master generally doesn't partake of human blood, they just drink from the other members of their seethe, taking their power for themselves. Aranea didn't introduce herself as a gofer for her master, and she expressed an anger at one of her seethe being taken. She is the master of her seethe, and that makes her definitely not nice at all. So be careful."

Prompto wrinkled his nose. So, basically, vampires were giant blood sucking cannibals who also drank other things sometimes. Gross. "I'll be careful."

"That's all we can ask."

Ignis went to bed not long after that, and shortly after his door clicked shut for the night, Noct put down his game controller. "What's up?"

Noctis didn't answer for a minute, but instead Prompto felt an uneasy, ripped open kind of feeling in his chest that made him want to cry. "Is it okay? That I feel like that?"

"About what? Aranea? I said I'd be careful."

"Not...you. Specs." Noctis sighed before he continued on in a whisper. "I knew Specs was our silversmith before I was born, and I guess I knew he had a life even before that, but..." Noct bit his lip, hard enough that Prompto could smell the small amount of blood that came from it. "He's never talked about it. I've known him for over a hundred years, and today is the day I learned he was once engaged. Today is the day I learned that he ran away from it."

Prompto frowned. Yeah, he guessed that was kind of important to someone who has literally been around him his entire life. Prompto thought it was quite possible, probable even, that Ignis hadn't been purposely keeping it secret, but, "I think you two really need to have a long talk." He reached out, and rubbed his alpha's back slowly. "Soon."

Noctis sobbed dryly, his hands raking up into his hair and tugging. "I know."


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's that time again. It's time for me to remind you all that this story has a side story that's a bunch of oneshots connected to this story. Why am I reminding you of this now? Because this Wednesday I will be posting a chapter in it that is connected to the end of this chapter, and I _really_ think you should all read it, as it provides a sort of insight you won't get otherwise.
> 
> You all can thank Bossgoose for that chapter being posted on Wednesday, because I was REALLY tempted to skip a week a post it next Sunday.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Prompto was staring.

He wasn't sure how he was going to explain it. He genuinely hadn't been looking to find something like this hidden in Gladio's t-shirt drawer. The honest to gods truth was that he'd been looking for his favorite t-shirt to steal for the morning. The baby blue one that was old and soft enough that Gladio's scent never really left it, even after it was washed. Gladio wasn't home yet, so he couldn't ask permission to take it, but he also stole Gladio's shirts all the time, and his boyfriend never minded it. He had thought it would be an easy thing, go into the drawer, find the baby blue shirt, steal it, wear it, mission success. He'd found the shirt, that was easy enough, but he'd also found a ring box underneath it.

It wasn't for him, he didn't think. He wasn't worried that he'd stumbled upon Gladio's plans to ask for his hand in marriage. They'd never talked about marriage, only mating, and he was pretty sure that if they got married, Gladio wanted it to be an affair they could share. Gladio's father, sister, and the entire pack he'd once belonged to would be on his side of the aisle. That was a lot of people. That wouldn't be the case for Prompto's side. No. He was sure that if they were to get married, Gladio wouldn't ask until Prompto at least spoke to his parents again. Prompto wasn't even sure he ever would. This ring box wasn't for him, but Gladio kept it hidden, tucked away safely in his t-shirt drawer anyway.

He should have just put it back, maybe idly mentioned it a week or two from then, but it was such a curious object that Prompto couldn't help but examine it further.

The box was old, but not worn or weak. Well made, well cared for. The fuzzy velveteen outside was a deep crimson color, and the ribbon inlay had once been white, but was now yellowed with age. Examining the box itself was bad enough, but Prompto knew he was truly invading Gladio's privacy when he snapped it open, still, he couldn't find it in himself to regret it. The ring inside was beautiful. Silver colored, with both tiny aqua colored stones and bigger diamonds inlaid throughout. The metal looped and swirled in ways that Prompto hadn't thought metal could, at least not in such a small setting. Old, Prompto thought, though beautiful, such a design was old, perhaps even older than the box it sat in, yet it was clearly still an engagement ring, but not for him, no, even from here he could tell that it was too large to fit on any of his fingers.

He went to lift the ring up out of the box to examine it even more closely, and this was where his curiosity got him burned, literally. The instant his skin came into contact with the metal pain snaked up his arm, and he gasped, both pulling his hand away and shoving the pain deep inside himself so that his packmates didn't come running to his aid. The ring wasn't just silver _colored_ , it was real silver, pure, if the strength and speed of the reaction was anything to go by. Why, Prompto wondered as he shoved his finger in his mouth to suck on the small burn, did Gladio have a ring made of a metal that would harm him in his drawer?

It was a question that would have to wait, for at that moment, Prompto heard the door open, and he knew Gladio was finally home from work. Hastily, and without thinking, Prompto shoved the ring box in his pocket and rushed out of their room to greet his boyfriend. "Hey!" He began with a grin on his face, "You're a little late tod-eeeh! What happened to your face?!" The panic in his chest instantly woke up Noct and Ignis in their respective rooms, and Gladio chuckled, even as they heard Noctis struggling out of his blankets to come do damage control.

"It's nothing to worry about, babe. Just a fight at the club."

"You have a black eye!" And it wasn't just that either, most of his face was swollen, especially his left cheek, and if there was damage on his face, Prompto was positive there was damage on the rest of him too. Just a fight at the club might have been the truth, but that didn't mean this wasn't  _bad._

Gladio just shook off his worry like it was a few rain droplets, and Prompto frowned even as he began to speak. "It's fine. It'll fade by the time Noct goes to work."

"Yeah?" Noct said sleepily, stumbling through his bedroom door at last, with Ignis emerging from his own room as well. Where Ignis took one look at the damage and went straight off to go make tea or coffee, Noctis marched forward, fingers silently demanding that Gladio lean down so he could properly access the damage. "Don't even tell me this was _just_ a fight. One little drunk human couldn't do this to you."

"Yeah, well, you know how it goes," Gladio said, shrugging again. "I try to break up a fight, and it starts a chain reaction. I was fighting off like seven guys at one point. All drunk, all not holding back while I did hold back. No one was seriously hurt in the end."

"That's good. I guess," Noct grumbled, pulling back as he apparently determined there was no lasting damage. "You put in for that job at the library yet?"

"Two days ago. Gonna call on Monday and follow up."

"Good. Hope you get it. I'm don't think I want you doing this bouncer shit much longer."

It wasn't phrased as an order, but Prompto saw Gladio's posture straighten a little at the words anyway. "Understood." Even if he didn't get that dream job at the library, surrounded by books, Prompto knew Gladio would find something else soon, even if that meant cashiering at Walmart.

Noctis nodded his approval, and they moved out to the kitchen, sitting at the counter while the coffee percolated. Prompto applied a little bit of salve to his boyfriend's split lip, even though they all knew that would be the first thing to heal properly. The atmosphere in the kitchen was a little heavy, but not strained, at least, not until Ignis began to pass out coffee mugs and asked, "What do you all want me to make for dinner this evening?"

"You're...going to be home tonight, Specs?"

"Indeed," Ignis said with a soft smile. "Coctura informed me that her uncle is coming into town last minute this evening, so she needed to leave early today so that she could pick him up from the airport. I could have taken over, but I haven't been home for dinner in a while, so I decided to close the cafe early and come home myself. There was nothing pressing that couldn't wait until tomorrow." This didn't bode well. None of them had thought Ignis would be home. It was Friday, a busy day all around, and normally Ignis stayed at the cafe especially late, checking inventory, doing payroll, checking in on the tenants above the shop. None of them had thought he'd be home, and so...

"We have plans." Prompto said, heart sinking in his chest, his eyes lowering down to the counter with the words. "Gladio and I are having date night."

"And I'll be at Luna's," Noctis added softly. "She asked for my help with a couple of things for the Gala, like placement and decorations."

"I see." Not even Ignis could completely hide the notes of disappointment that colored his words, and Prompto felt like shit. Ignis was _never_ home for dinner on time anymore. They never seemed to spend time together at all anymore, to the point where Prompto _still_ hadn't asked Ignis to teach him how to dance, and the one day Ignis had actually managed to carve out time...was the one day they already had plans.

Prompto glanced at Gladio, and made a decision he hoped wouldn't make him angry. "You could...come with us? To the restaurant? We don't have reservations, they won't know the difference if we bring a third."

Ignis tutted. "I am not going to crash your date night, don't be absurd."

"We could always reschedule," Gladio offered, and Prompto internally sighed in relief, glad that Gladio was willing to go along. "Sunday maybe?"

"Absolutely not. I will not have you upending your plans just because of last minute adjustments in mine."

"I'd say you could come to Luna's," Noct added in, "But I know she'd rather it all be a surprise to you. She probably wouldn't even be asking me, if she thought I cared about fae aesthetics. I mean, I could ask, but--"

"Noct. I understand."

Ignis could say that it was all right all he wanted, but Prompto still felt terrible. The image of Ignis sitting at home alone, while they all went out and did things together, or with friends just didn't sit well in his gut. He decided to try again. "We could bring you back something to eat? It'd be no problem. You wouldn't have to cook for yourself then."

"Don't worry about it, Prompto," Ignis was now using his most gentle tone, and normally it was a super effective balm to his anxieties, but right now all it did was tear at Prompto's heart. "Enjoy your date, and don't even think of bringing me anything back. I can fend for myself."

Hours and hours later, those words were still ringing in Prompto's head. _He could fend for himself._ Sure he could. Of course he could! Ignis was strong and capable. Ignis was also a werewolf, and werewolves didn't do alone very well. He had pack. Ignis should never have to say that he could fend for himself. _Never_. Ignis should always feel like he was supported, included, and wanted. Those words that morning were the final nail in a coffin Ignis had been building for the last week or so now that told Prompto he didn't feel that way. He didn't feel like Noctis found him precious, he didn't feel the need to explain things like he used to when Prompto had questions, and instead he'd left it to Noctis, he didn't share his pain with his pack, and now he was going to be at home for dinner. Ignis was fending for himself, and he would never complain about it.

"What's wrong?" Gladio's voice cut through his thoughts. "You look like you're about to cry."

And now he was sitting here, in Red Lobster, on a date, thinking about Ignis, instead of the man in front of him, who had been in a bar brawl the night before, and deserved a respite from the stresses of life, and not a boyfriend who was thinking about another man.

For a second, his old human instincts kicked in and told him to lie, to tell him he was thinking about how snakes didn't have arms, or those videos of cats reacting to their owners coming back after being gone for a long time, but then he remembered that he wasn't a human anymore, and he wasn't sparing anyone anything by lying. "I'm thinking about Iggy."

He had sort of expected Gladio to sort of tease him. Not in a mean sort of way, but he'd expected him to smirk and say something about thinking about other men, and how jealous he was. That was usually how Gladio reacted to his sadness or being upset; he made a joke out of it, and tried to Prompto to smile, just as Prompto did for all of them. He didn't get a tease. Instead, what he got was Gladio sort of deflating in his seat, and a shared emotion in his chest. It was a sorrow and worry that matched his own. "Me too." Before Prompto could get himself together enough to make a joke himself, Gladio went on. "He's always been independent, y'know, for a werewolf, but he's also always lingered about the edges. I don't even feel like he's doing that anymore. I feel like I never see him."

"Me too," Prompto sighed, sinking down against the table, "I _still_ haven't gotten enough downtime with him to ask if he'll teach me how to waltz. There's only like...ten days left, and I haven't gotten one lesson."

"I'm not surprised. It seems like he's only home to eat and sleep these days."

"Because of the cafe." It was the shop's fault, Prompto thought. It kept him busy, too busy to be home with his pack. Too busy for them to have even thought about telling Ignis they had a date. "I kind of hate the cafe," Prompto admitted with a grumble. He didn't go in it, it always felt a little off and like he was intruding, but it also ate up all of Ignis' time. He knew it was good for Ignis, to have a big project, something to pour himself into, but he hated it. He selfishly wanted to keep more of Ignis for himself. He didn't mind sharing Ignis with Gladio or Noct, but they were his pack, his loves. He'd happily share with them, but he really didn't want to share Ignis with the cafe or its patrons anymore.

They sat in silence for a while, until the bubbly waitress came around and asked if they were ready to order. They weren't, but the question made them actually open their menu's and look through it. "We should bring something home for Iggy."

"Prom. He specifically told us not to."

"I don't care," Prompto said, wrinkling his nose. He knew it mattered more to Gladio, who, as low man on the Totem Pole in the pack, was much more keenly aware of orders and commands. Ignis was above him, had told him no, and so, even though it hadn't been directed as an order, Gladio wasn't keen on incurring his wrath. As an omega, Prompto didn't feel that anywhere near as sharply. He focused much more on trying to make his pack smile. "He deserves something." His mind whirred as he tried to think of a compromise between the two. "Maybe...like...dessert?" He flipped to the back of the menu. Dessert wasn't a whole meal, but it would be a treat. "Iggy really likes cheesecake. They have cheesecake. It has strawberries. Iggy really likes strawberries."

Across from him, Gladio mulled it over for a second, and Prompto grinned when he nodded. "Iggy would probably be okay with strawberry cheesecake."

For the first time since they'd sat down, Prompto grinned. "Score!" This would make Ignis smile, Prompto was sure of it. Satisfied that they were going to do something that would please Ignis and uplift his mood, Prompto began to look finally through the menu in earnest.

He had just about decided on a delicious sounding lobster alfredo when it all came crashing down at once. The pain was unexpected and came on like a shot. It wasn't his own, but it tore his heart in two, and it was all Prompto could do to remember that they were in a public space and clamp his hands tightly over his mouth and hold back a scream as tears fell unbidden down his face. Shaking and terrified, he looked across the table to Gladio, who was in a very similar position, except that he'd balled his hands into fists on ht table instead of pressing them over his lips. "What just happened?" Prompto whimpered between his fingers the instant he felt he wouldn't completely fall apart if he asked.

When Gladio parted his lips to speak his voice was equally shaken and soft to match the way his skin had paled. "I think someone just died."

"Someone" could only be Noctis or Ignis, and heart high in his throat, Prompto scrabbled for his phone, just as it began to vibrate in his hands with texts. They were from Noctis.

Noctis, 7:03 pm: _It's Ignis._  
Noctis, 7:03 pm: _He's still alive_  
Noctis, 7:03 pm: _But dying_  
Noctis, 7:04 pm: _Cafe go_

Order or no, Prompto didn't need to be told twice. He was up and out of his seat, even as he told Gladio what the texts said. Behind him, Gladio was ripping money out of his pocket to throw on the table, as Prompto was running out the door. Gladio would know to follow him, and he ran past the car. With evening traffic, it would only slow them down, and Ignis needed them _now_.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's Sunday once again and so that means we have a new chapter to put up.
> 
> I got a lot of comments last chapter, and I really appreciate your screaming at me. I am also here to warn you that you may not be at any better of a point at the end of this chapter, so feel free to come scream at me again.
> 
> I am also going to warn you that the next few chapters are going to be a bit rough, but I am also going to assure you, because I'm aware some of you might need it, that **this is not going to be the tone of the entire story from this point on.** So yes, we're at a very bad point right now, but if you keep with the story, we'll get through it.
> 
> I hope you enjoy. <3

Every second felt like both an eternity and an instant as Prompto ran. Every second they wasted trying to get there was a second during which Ignis could _die_. He weaved in and out of traffic, knowing that at least once or twice he'd come close to being hit by a moving car, and also knowing that he also didn't care one bit. He could break his legs and it wouldn't matter, if it meant they got to Ignis in time. His lungs and legs burned with the effort of going as fast as he could, which, as he would figure out later, was far faster than he'd thought he could.

He only vaguely took in the fact that he'd run past their own house, knowing that going past it was the fastest way to Ignis' cafe. He ran, and ran, and _ran_ until he got to the smaller building wedged between two larger buildings that he knew was Ignis'. He had to dig his heels down hard against the concrete to slow to a stop, and the rubbery burn of his tread shredding on the cement filled his nose as he tore the door open and propelled himself inside. "Iggy?!"

When he looked back at everything later, replaying the whole scenario in his head over and over while he tried to sleep, Prompto would realize that he'd been so focused on the fact that Ignis was dying that his lizard brain hadn't even stopped for a second to think about _why_ Ignis was dying.

It was the Why that stood before him. The Why was Ardyn.

There were a lot of things Prompto could have looked at in the space. There was an untouched table with an open laptop and papers, several other tables along with their chairs overturned and on their side, the sunny colored bouquet of fresh flowers on the counter, the lingering smell of food and coffee that was just there underneath the scent of metal and blood, the chalkboard menu neatly written in Ignis' beautiful handwriting that hadn't been there the last time he'd dared to set foot inside the cafe. There were just so many things he could have looked at, could have taken in, instead the entirety of his brain was taken in by the sight of Ardyn.

He almost looked exactly the same as he remembered him. Same clothes, same hair, same smirk on his face, same everything...except for his left eye. His left eye was a gaping, bloody mess that had clearly bled a lot of thick black-looking blood down the side of his face. It didn't seem to be oozing anymore. That meant it was already starting to heal, but Prompto knew that even to a werewolf, that had to be a pretty grievous wound. It would take days for it to heal, maybe even longer to properly regrow the eye, and Prompto felt a little satisfaction at that. Ignis had inflicted that wound, Prompto knew in his heart. Ignis had done it for him and for his uncle. That was probably a lot more damage than anyone had done to Ardyn in a long time, Prompto knew he himself had never even gotten a scratch on him.

His heart sank when he realized precisely how much Ignis was paying for that move. "Where's Ignis." He didn't say it like a question. His voice shook with adrenaline and fear, but he sounded stern and serious, and that was good enough for Prompto. He could be afraid of Ardyn all he wanted, but he couldn't be like last time. He couldn't pass out with fear. Not when Ignis needed him.

"No hello for an old friend?" Ardyn said with a smile, tilting his head to one side. "I'm hurt, Prompto."

"Where. Is. Ignis." His voice shook more this time, but it wasn't fear anymore. It was anger. He woke up screaming in the of the night because of this man. He ran in the mornings to forget this man. He couldn't stand the sight of warehouses and hated the smell of vanilla because of this man. This man dominated so much else about him, in just the little subtle ways. He would not let him take Ignis from him. He would not let him devastate his pack.

Behind him the sound of heavy footsteps reached his ears, and his heart calmed a little. It was Gladio. Gladio would know what to do. Gladio was a fighter. Gladio wasn't traumatized.

"What's going on?! Where's Ignis?" Both his voice and his scent washed over him, and Prompto breathed deeply. Yes. This was better. Together they were better.

"Well, well, would you look at that? Two of them actually came. Two out of three isn't bad, now is it, Ignis?" Ardyn glanced downward, and for the first time Prompto saw him in a spot that he could have sworn had been empty before that moment. Ignis. He was sprawled out on the floor at Ardyn's feet. His back was to them, so Prompto couldn't see his face, and couldn't tell if his chest still rose and fell with his breathing, but that was enough to now that even if it were, it was terribly shallow, and they were definitely running out of time. Inside himself he reached out to that pack bond he shared with Ignis, but it singed and shocked him, and told him nothing but pain. Still alive, yes, but definitely not for much longer.

Gladio must have come to the same conclusion, because the next thing Prompto was really aware of was Gladio pushing past him to try and get their packmate. Prompto knew the attempt would be unsuccessful the moment he moved, and then it was over before he could even get his mouth open to tell him so. Ardyn moved, just one arm, and Gladio recoiled. Prompto knew from the feeling of surprise and pain that Gladio was hurt, but it also wasn't life-threatening. His hands itched to reach out and turn him around, to check exactly how bad it was, but there wasn't time and there wasn't safety.

Instead, Prompto did the most terrifying thing he thought he'd ever willingly done. He looked Ardyn straight in the eye. He held his ground, even as his knees shook and threatened the knock together. He took in a bracing breath and then forced out, "What do you want?"

Prompto knew he'd made the right choice when Ardyn's smile became a grin.

"How nice of you to ask. The truth is, I want many things, but in terms of what I would trade for this pathetic creature," Prompto saw Ardyn reach out and not just prod but full on kick Ignis' prone form. Prompto growled in the back of his throat. How dare he? How dare he do that! How dare he kick him? How dare he call him pathetic?! The wolf inside him set aside his fear and anxiety, and it urged him to attack. Right for the throat. _No_. He pushed it back. Attacking got them nowhere. Gladio had already proven that. "For him...I'd take you, Prompto."

"Prompto, _no_." Gladio turned, his voice soft and desperate, and Prompto saw, to his smallest relief, that the wound Ardyn had inflicted was superficial, a line across his forehead that was bleeding something fierce, but would probably start to heal and then disappear soon.

"Prompto, _yes_ ," Ardyn chuckled. "Your friend's, if you could even truly call him that, time is quickly running out. Another hour or so and not even the gods could help him. Don't get me wrong, he'll probably die anyway, but he'll _definitely_ die if you don't come with me."

Inside of him, the wolf's self preservation kicked in, and it begged him to run. They knew what would happen to them if they went. Eventually, Ardyn would kill him, but he'd make it slow, maybe months long. He'd suffer worse than he'd suffered before, the wolf told him. He knew that. That didn't change the fact that he needed to go. Ardyn was telling the truth, if Ignis didn't get help asap, he'd die. Tonight. If he went, Ignis might live. Prompto would suffer, but Ignis might live, and he fully believed that his pack would come for him. They'd take him back. Prompto had to be brave enough to take a chance on them all surviving. He couldn't just take the certainty that one of them would die so he could be safe for now.

Prompto took a step forward.

Behind him, the door burst open. Prompto heard the wood splintering, and there was Noctis.

He didn't quite look like Noct, the alpha he'd grown to love over the time he'd been with the pack. Noct was lazy when he could be, had the best intentions, was soft and awkward, especially when it came to his emotions and talking. Noct loved video games and comic books, and was a much bigger geek than he let on. Noct loved animals, especially cats, and was the most physically needy person he knew. He knew and loved Noct.

The man who had entered the cafe was not his _Noct_. Prompto knew as sure the sun rose in the sky that this was _Noctis Lucis-Caelum_ , an alpha wolf, over a hundred years old, born of a clan of wolves millennia old. This was a man who knew how to kill, and was perfectly willing to do it for his pack. This was a man Prompto had never met before. This was a man he wasn't sure anyone _wanted_ to meet.

He dully noted that Noctis' eyes were not their normal beautiful blue, but instead glowed an intensely bright pinkish-purple, that he could only imagine was the color of the magic that ran in his veins.

Unlike Gladio, and unlike Prompto, Noctis did not pause to speak, to question, to bargain. Noctis went straight for the attack. He raised a hand, palm outward, and Prompto swore the very air shifted and changed its composition as lightning struck out at Ardyn, followed by a near deafening clap of thunder.

The magic was wild and terrifying, but Ardyn was unfazed. He simply raised a hand and it deflected away mere inches from his being. In the corner, the laptop exploded into a million bits and pieces. Noctis didn't even pause. First had been lightning, but then came the fire, and Noctis was charging straight into Ardyn's personal space.

Prompto wasted instants being mesmerized by the sight, by the way Noctis moved, by the way Ardyn's face had gone from smirking and sure, to strained and furious. It almost took too long for Prompto to realize that they couldn't wait for Noctis to win or lose. Ardyn was distracted _now_. "Gladio!" Prompto hissed, lunging forward and grasping at his shirt. "Grab Iggy. Let's go!"

Gladio hesitated, and it made Prompto want to violently shake him. "What about Noct?" Gladio whispered, and impatience sparked further in Prompto's soul. On one level, he understood. Gladio prided himself on being big and strong. Prompto had noticed it deep in his soul the very first day he'd been an official part of the pack. Gladio considered himself to be their protector, their first line of defense. If he didn't stay and help Noctis now, especially if Noct got hurt, it was a personal failure. Prompto totally got all that, but right now it didn't matter. Gladio would have to deal with his ego later.

"Noct can take care of himself!" It wasn't really what he wanted to say. Of course it wasn't. They were pack. They were one. It felt in his soul like they should fight as one, but they were ill equipped for it, and one of them was already down, way down. They would have to hope that Noctis could get away as soon as they were safe. "Ignis needs our help now!"

Gladio growled, not at him, Prompto was pretty sure, but in frustration at the entire situation. He growled, but he didn't argue anymore. He lurched forward and gathered Ignis in his arms as carefully as Noctis would hold a kitten, and then he ran out the door. Prompto followed, but not before sparing Noctis one last glance. To his continued relief, Noctis caught his eyes in the instants between attacks and spells, and he nodded. Prompto had made the right choice.

Outside, he nearly ran into Gladio, who was waiting for him. "We have to--"

"Prom. Look."

Frustrated and scared, Prompto obeyed, following Gladio's eyes down to Ignis. For a second, Prompto swore that his heart stopped and his blood ran cold in his veins. He wasn't injured by fire, or blades, or even guns. In fact, most of his body seemed perfectly fine. His clothes were a little rumpled, his hair disheveled, but it was only his face that gave away what was surely killing him. The side of his face that lay limply against Gladio's chest was mostly fine, with only a couple of spatter spots that Prompto could easily ignore in the face of what was on the other side. Silver. Prompto was sure of it. A thin sheet of silver completely covered his left eye, the same eye he'd somehow gouged in Ardyn's own face. Revenge, Prompto was sure. The difference was Ardyn's was already healing, but this silver mask that they could not touch was burned into his face, and it was slowly eating him. Ardyn was right, within an hour, he'd probably be beyond anyone's care.

"...How?" How had Ardyn gotten silver onto his face like this? It wasn't like a piece of jewelry that you touched and it left a mark, this was welded on, as though it had been liquid before it had come into contact with his skin.

"I don't know," Gladio hissed out, the softness of his voice giving away just how terrified he felt, and how much he was trying to hold it back. "But he needs help. He needs to get it off."

"Where?"

Gladio thought about it for a second, and then he simply started running again. Prompto followed, confused, until Gladio took a left turn across a busy street. That was when it occurred to him. Who was the most powerful person they knew? Who was the only person they knew who might have the ability to remove the silver and save Ignis' life?

The answer could only be Luna, and the thought spurred Prompto to run even faster. If there was even a possibility of them being able to save Ignis, they had to take it. Ardyn had tried to rip apart of their pack tonight.

Prompto would not allow him to be successful.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!
> 
> We're continuing to inch through this part of the story, but I will give you all hope and say that I have officially written myself out of this portion of angst-land. I write several chapters ahead ( to keep up with weekly updates ) so I'm not gonna tell you exactly where angst-land ends, but do know that it's coming.
> 
> *tries to count how many more chapters she has to write until she's done writing the main story* ...Too many.
> 
> Enjoy?! <3

Between leaving the restaurant and now the cafe, it felt like they had never stopped running. It still felt like every second was too long. Every second was deep seated terror in his bones that he would feel that finally snap of Ignis' life pulling away from the pack. That Ignis would die. He followed Gladio, trailing only ten feet or so behind him. In front of him, Gladio kept trying to go faster, but there were too many people walking home from work or walking to dates on a Friday night. He kept trying to push or wedge his way through the crowd, and it slowed him down. "Gladio wait! Stop!" Stopping wasted time, but Prompto knew he could save them much more time if he did.

"Let me go ahead of you," Prompto panted out when he caught up to where Gladio had skid to a stop, his face full of rage and fear. "I'm smaller. Let me clear the way for you." Understanding didn't dismiss the anger from Gladio's expression, but he nodded. Prompto pressed forward, pushing people out of the way, separating them so that Gladio had enough space to get through without hesitation. Rude. He was being so very rude, but for once it didn't matter. Ignis was dying in Gladio's arms. Noctis was still fighting a madman alone, and for all they knew he wouldn't make it out alive either. Prompto would do anything he could to help. He'd shove people in front of moving cars if he had to.

It was the first time Prompto truly understood the idea of "Anything for Pack." In this moment, he really would do _anything_. He would kill. He would die. He would even turn around and go back to face Ardyn himself if that was what it meant.

Ardyn. He'd taken so much from Prompto. He'd taken his humanity, he'd taken his innocence, his happiness, a year of his life, his jobs, his apartment, his scholarships, his sanity, his pleasant dreams, his whole _life_. Prompto wouldn't let him have Ignis too. He wouldn't have this new life he'd built with his pack. He wouldn't.

They arrived at Luna and Cindy's house before Prompto truly realized they'd gone so far. He felt himself practically vibrating off the ground with a multitude of emotions as he jumped up the steps and knocked on the door. It was Cindy who opened the door almost immediately, her face taut with worry. "Luna said you'd probably be comin'." She pulled the door back so that it was fully open and let them inside. "She's in the guest room."

They didn't run, but what they did wasn't something Prompto would call a walk either.

Luna stood by the bed in the guest room, her back straight, her face somber. "Put him on the bed." She'd known they were coming. Of course, Noct had been with her when this had begun, and, well, Prompto remembered that Noct had once called her an oracle. Perhaps that meant she'd seen it coming. "Gently."

Gladio obeyed the direction without question, and Prompto knew that he would remember the look on Gladio's face as he did so for the rest of his life. That was the look of someone who knew this was goodbye. That was the look of someone who had so much more to say, but knew they'd never get to say it. That was the look of someone who was heartbroken. Gladio was already grieving Ignis' death. "Luna will save him," he tried to comfort him, but Gladio shook his head and looked right at Luna's face.

"This is too much to do as a gift. Too much to do for a future favor. It shows too much alignment when she has to stay neutral in a fight like this. She'll need payment up front. We don't have anything to give her."

Prompto thought that couldn't be true. This was Luna, kind, good, Luna,who would do anything to help Noct, but when he looked at her face he knew Gladio was right. She looked too sad for someone who had the power right at her fingertips. "It needn't be an expensive thing," she whispered, her voice crackling with sorrow. "Just something precious. Something that would hurt to give up, as his life would hurt to give up."

If that were the case, Prompto was lost. These days, he didn't hold a lot of value in his things, despite the fact that he could afford more of them. He'd lost all he'd had when Ardyn had taken him, and he found he didn't miss the objects he'd lost, and didn't put emotional stock in his new things. Even his camera was just a camera. If it broke he could replace it. The only sting would be the monetary loss. Even the pictures inside weren't that important. They weren't _his_ precious memories, but those of his customers.

The fact that he didn't think he had a picture of Ignis hit him like a train. Ignis was going to die, and he didn't even have a picture to remember him by. Tears began to well up in his eyes as Gladio began to speak. "I...have a thing. It's very precious to me. I've tried to sell it, but I can't let it go. It holds too many emotions for me. I would give it up for this. It's not here. It's...at home. I could go get it, but--" He stopped, but Prompto knew what the next words would be. It would take too long. Ignis would be dead by the time he returned. They'd already wasted too much time. It was too late.

The tears began to fall from Prompto's eyes, his breath catching in his throat as his brain tried to cope with the idea that there was nothing they could do, until-- "Is it a ring?" Prompto choked out.

"What?"

"The thing," he started, reaching out and clenching his hands into Gladio's shirt like it was the only thing that kept him standing upright. Perhaps it was. "That's precious to you. Is. It. A. Ring?"

"Yeah," Gladio mumbled confusedly. "How'd you--"

"I have it!" Prompto gasped, pushing himself back from Gladio as he began to dig through his pockets for the small box he'd shoved in it just this morning. "I-I have the ring." He wasted precious seconds digging through the wrong pockets, but when his fingers brushed against velveteen, he quickly pulled it out and offered it to Gladio. "This one? Please tell me it's this one."

"It is," Gladio's own voice was choked with tears as he snatched the box from Prompto's palm and shoved it in Luna's direction without hesitation. "I offer you this ring, and the box it comes in, in exchange for healing Ignis, and removing the silver that's welded to him."

Luna's hand shook as she gently lifted the box out of Gladio's gasp and clicked it open. Prompto knew she would see the same ring he'd seen that morning, silver, with small diamonds and aqua colored stones, intricately woven. When she saw it, Luna's hand flew up to her mouth, and large tears fell down her own face. "It's a beautiful ring," she said, lowering her hand and revealing a smile through the tears. "And it is worth the life of the man who made it."

Luna wouldn't let them watch, not that Prompto was complaining about that part. He didn't want to leave Ignis' side, but he also didn't want to know _exactly_ what would be required to save his life. He was sure it wouldn't be pretty or pleasant, and his stomach was close enough to heaving at it was.

They sat on a pristine white couch in the living room with Cindy. Pryna and Umbra lay at their feet. They didn't talk. Prompto wasn't sure exactly when Gladio took his hand, but when he realized he had, he squeezed it tightly. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," Gladio whispered back, and silence fell between them all again, until the front door opened and closed with a slam each way. It was Noctis.

Prompto barely had time to untangle their hands and rise to his feet before time their alpha got to the living room. Prompto thought he looked dead inside. Noctis was naturally pale, but this went beyond it. The parts of his skin that weren't covered with dirt or blood were sickly white, almost paper white. His eyes were back to their normal beautiful blue, but there was no light in them. Even his arms seemed to be too heavy for him and they lay limply at his sides. "Are you okay, Noct?" He was pretty sure that the answer was no, but he asked anyway.

Noctis didn't answer his question. Instead he said, "Ardyn's gone for now. I didn't kill him, Prom. He ran the moment it got a little too hard for him. I chased him, but I lost him down by the docks. I'm...sorry. I'm so sorry."

Prompto could feel his heart cracking in his chest. With everything that had happened in just the last hour, and _this_ was what Noctis was worried about. "It's okay. You're alive. You're here. It's okay."

"It's not. It's _so_ not." Noctis paused, "Where's Ignis?"

"He's in with Luna," Gladio said thickly. "We struck a bargain, but we have to wait for her to finish."

"But he'll live?"

"Yeah. He'll live."

"Okay." Noctis anxiously ran his fingers through his hair, which was slick with what Prompto could smell was blood. Some of it was Ardyn's. Some of it was Noct's own. "Okay."

Cindy asked if Noct wanted a shower, or if he needed stitches, but the answer to both was no. "I'll heal fine. Just flesh wounds." Prompto thought he should have taken the shower anyway. The smell of blood was disconcerting, and even Noct seemed to be aware that he couldn't sit down without messing something up. As it was, he took off his boots and left them on the hardwood floor while he paced on the living room carpet, waiting for something to change. Prompto focused on Noct's socks. They seemed to legitimately be the cleanest thing about him. Usually, aside from Ignis, Noctis was the cleanest of them, at least in his own person, if not about the space he was in.

Gladio slipped his hand back into Prompto's, and Prompto tried to find comfort in it while they waited for Luna to tell them if everything was going to be okay.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, Prompto felt something that felt like a key unlocking a door in his head, and a calming silence fell over him. When he looked up, Noctis had stopped pacing, and he whispered, "She's finished."

Sure enough, a minute later, they heard the door open down the hall, and they were all up on their feet and in front of her in seconds. "He's not awake," Luna said softly, ringing her hands, trying to soothe what seemed to be burns of her own. "But he's physically stable. I've done all I can for the worth of the ring."

"It's enough," Gladio's voice rumbled next to him. "His life is enough."

"Can we see him?" Prompto gnawed on his bottom lip as he waited for the answer. The answer could be no, she could say he needed to be alone in that room for awhile. He'd respect it if that were the answer, but he really didn't want to just continue sitting here. Doing nothing. He hated it.

To his relief, she nodded. "He's not awake," she repeated, "But you can peek in on him." A thin smile graced her lips, "I'll get blankets and pillows ready for you all. I assume that you'd like to spend the night close by." She left them then, and with Noctis in the lead, they went back inside the guest room.

It wasn't pretty, even without the panic of Ignis' life hanging by a thread. On the bedside table was a clumsy looking ball of metal that Prompto assumed Luna had magically removed from Ignis' face. The burns said silver had left behind were extensive. The ring had apparently not been worth healing the scars, and they stretched over his face like the fingers of a hand. One eye socket completely covered, trailing over the bridge of his nose, by comparison the other eye was practically perfect, save for a couple of longer drip marks, and it was the same with his lips, a couple of spots here and there had gotten drips of silver, and there was scarring left behind, but it was the left eye that truly drew his gaze. A revenge wound, Prompto was now more sure than ever, for whatever it was that Ignis had done to Ardyn's own left eye.

Beside him, Noctis was trembling. Anger and despair in equal parts bubbled in his chest. "Hey," Prompto said softly, exerting his pressure as best he could through his own feelings and looping their arms together. "It's okay. Iggy will heal." A human wouldn't. A human would spend the rest of their lives like that, but Ignis wasn't human. Ignis was a werewolf. Ignis would heal.

"Yeah," Noctis spat, his voice as steady as Prompto suspected it was going to be for a while. "In a few years, and it's gonna hurt like hell." Right, Prompto sighed internally. Noctis would know. He knew what bad silver wounds felt like. Prompto squeezed the arm he'd captured a little tighter, forcing his eyes down to Ignis' chest, and watching it rise and fall.

"But he'll live, and he will be okay. Not today, but he will." The truth was that Prompto wasn't sure if he was saying this more for his benefit or Noct's. They had to believe that Ignis would be okay someday. If it couldn't be today, it had to be someday. Instead of focusing on his face and Noct's anger bubbling in his chest, he focused on that even rise and fall of Ignis' chest beneath the bed's blankets. It was deeper now than it had been at the shop, not the fluttering of shallow breaths trying to eek out oxygen. It was something.

Eventually, Cindy came and told them that the "blanket fort" was ready, and that she'd gotten out some old stretchy pants and a tshirt she thought Noct would be able to fit into, just for tonight. Prying Noctis away from Ignis' bedside was difficult, but they managed to push him into the bathroom to shower, and Prompto waited outside the door. The adrenaline had finally worn off, and it left him feeling utterly exhausted.It was as though his feet weren't planted firmly on the ground, as though he would and fall if he walked too quickly. He tapped his toes against the floor outside the bathroom  to ground himself while he waited for Noctis to finish showering.

"I think I got it all set up now," Gladio said, just before the water behind the door shut off. "She had us all separated, but I set it up so we can lie together."

"Cool." Prompto blew out of a puff of air to push a piece of his hair out of his face. "How you are feeling?" In answer Gladio allowed a trickle of despair, guilt, and sorrow seep into Prompto's bones, and Prompto scrunched up his face, holding back the tightness in his throat, and tapped his toes even faster. "Hard same," he squeaked out.

"Iggy would say we'll feel better after we sleep."

"He would," Prompto squeaked again, the tightness beginning to be overwhelming. "But will we?"

"Guess we'll find out."

The door opened, and Noctis came out, still half wet, and all the fury gone from his stance, just like all the blood was gone from his hair. "Lemme check you over."

"Dude," Noctis said, pushing lightly at Prompto's shoulder. "I'm fine. It's all healed up."

"But let me check." Noctis growled (actually growled) at him, and Prompto felt like there were the beginnings of an order at his lips before he seemed to remember that he couldn't _actually_ order Prompto around, and all the fight left him again. Prompto thought he looked sad, defeated, and very alone in that moment. If he had any heart left to break at that moment, it might have been heartbreaking.

"Fine." His alpha sighed, fingers running through and getting caught in his almost dripping hair. "But let me sit first. I ache."

The reality was that Noctis more flopped onto the pile of blankets and pillows that Gladio had rearranged on the floor of the living room, but he didn't argue against it when Prompto knelt down and inspected him. He was right, whatever wounds his magic fight with Ardyn had inflicted had already healed up. He was fine. Physically. Emotionally...Prompto was pretty sure they were all just dying inside.

It was Gladio who turned off the light and joined them last. He was exhausted, but it took Prompto a long time to fall asleep. Despite having someone on either side of him, it had been a very long time since he'd felt quite so alone.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday!
> 
> Fun fact, when I was originally planning this part, it was going to be much longer, and involve a lot more magic hocus pocus. I quickly nixed it because A) I want to be out of these sadness waters as much as you. B) I did not want to go through that whole long magic explanation. OTL I am lazy.
> 
> Please note that there is still magic hocus pocus here. I'm just delaying having to explain it all at once.
> 
> Please enjoy this chapter. <3

Getting up in the morning wasn't pleasant. At first, Prompto didn't want to move at all, he just wanted to fall back asleep so that he didn't have to deal with being awake. About three seconds after that, he remembered _why_ he didn't want to be awake, and then he was so widely awake that he didn't think he was ever going to fall asleep again. The morning sun shining through the windows didn't make the world seem any better, it only seemed to betray the fact that Ignis lay in a room nearby after being attacked the night before, and none of them could help him.

On a day like today, the sky shouldn't be blue, and the sun shouldn't be shining. It ought to be gray, miserable, and raining.

Prompto mentally reached out and let himself follow along the string inside his soul that connected him to Ignis. It was never a very active string, Ignis normally closed himself off, far better than the rest of them did, and only shared what was too much of a surprise to hide, or what he thought would make them happy to feel. Letting yourself slide along Ignis' bond usually resulted it coming up against a wall, or perhaps it would be better to call it a door. It could be opened, but Ignis held the key. Sometimes he left it unlocked, normally on really good days, but even then, if you pushed against it too hard or too quickly he slammed the door. Ignis didn't share, and sometimes that made Prompto sad, especially compared to how _much_ Noctis and Gladio shared, but that door was a thousand times better than what he found now.

He found nothing.

The bond went on and on into a nothingness that Prompto knew he couldn't follow him into. There were no emotions, no thoughts, no nothing, save for the vague sense that he was physically alive, physically injured, but his soul, that beautiful soul who loved to laugh at his own bad puns, who loved to cook for them, and comfort them when they were upset...was gone.

Prompto couldn't hold it back, he sobbed, tears running down his face before he could think to stifle them. It was Noct's arms that wrapped around him, and Prompto realized for the first time since waking that he hadn't already been trapped by Noct's needy limbs. "It's okay." Noctis whispered into his shoulder. "He'll...be back. I know it's scary, but he'll be back. We just gotta wait a little bit." That was a tone that Prompto knew. He'd used it the night before when talking to Noctis. It was the tone of someone saying something as much for their own benefit as for the one of the person they were talking to.

He bit his lip, hard enough that it bled for the first time in a long time. The pain was barely a prick against his consciousness compared to what he'd felt the night before, compared to what he'd felt coming from Ignis the night before. "Are you sure?"

Prompto both felt and heard Noctis take in a deep, shuddering breath. "I've gotta be, because I don't think if I can deal with it if I'm not."

They didn't move or talk after that, not until Gladio and Luna came into the living room with plates of French toast that (considering both Luna and Cindy's lack of cooking skills) Prompto assumed Gladio had made. Even then there were only the soft words of thanks for the food, and the shuffling cutlery noises as they ate. Noctis, who was usually the first to finish shoveling any sort of food into his mouth, except for vegetables, hadn't even touched his food after five minutes, at which point he promptly stood up and disappeared into the room down the hall.

"He's just torturing himself," Gladio huffed, his lips twisted down in a frown, his nose scrunched up in distaste. The ugly emotion that went along with that expression twisted in Prompto's gut, and Prompto sank back in his seat unhappily, pushing syrup around on his plate like he had been on and off since he'd gotten it.

"He's probably hoping the smell of food will make Iggy wake up."

"If it does, it'll just be to complain about how I did it wrong."

"Gladio!" He didn't bother to hold back the small burst of anger he felt, gone as quickly as it appeared, but effective all the same. Gladio deflated, and sat his fork down on the edge of his plate.

"I'm just saying. It's what he'd do." He huffed again, and followed it up with a deeper sigh. "It'd...be a relief if he did."

"Yeah, guess it would," Prompto relented. The criticism would hurt, sure, but at least he'd be awake. At least he'd be here, with his shut off doors instead of that fog of nothing he knew they were all keenly aware of at the edge of their senses.

They lapsed back into silence, until Luna surprisingly finished eating first, and then got to her feet. "Excuse me," she said in her polite way as she herself went down the hall and disappeared into Ignis' room.

Prompto and Gladio shared a look. Normally, Prompto found Luna's presence to be calming. She was good and kind, and she didn't hide her love of Noctis that extended to the rest of them with smiles and soft words. Between her and her wife, it was usually Cindy who was blunt and to the point. On the rare occasion that he and Gladio had a fight, if it wasn't Ignis who put him to rights, it was _certainly_ Cindy. Cindy, who was uncomplicated and straightforward. As she herself liked to say, the most complicated things in her life were the cars she had to fix, and she liked it that way. Prompto often suspected that was part of why Luna loved Cindy so much, she was just simpler than dealing with her fae kin, and much more honest to boot.

Just then though, Luna hadn't seemed like the smiling soft person they both knew. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Prompto scrunched up his nose, placed his plate carefully on the coffee table, and made to get up. "I dunno, Brain, were you thinking that this doesn't seem like it's gonna end well?"

Gladio snorted, "Something like that."

They were halfway down the hall when their suspicions were confirmed by Noctis yelling, "What do you mean you don't think he'll wake up?!"

"Yep," Prompto said through a nervous chuckling that kept him from falling apart, "Not gonna end well."

Muffled through the door he heard Luna gently say "I said _might_ , Noctis. He _might_ not wake up. I'm only saying it to prepare you for the possibility."

"Why would you even _say_ that?!"

This time Luna sighed, soft and sad before she answered, "Because he should have already woken up. I healed him well enough that there's nothing _physically_ holding him back. He's strong enough that you should have woken up this morning to find he was waiting for you, but...he's not. That means he perhaps doesn't want to wake up."

The words were like a suckerpunch, and Prompto brought his hands up to his mouth to stifle the sound of anguish that wanted to come through his lips. It had sort of been a slow forming idea in his head that Ignis wasn't entirely happy with his life right now, but to suggest that he was unhappy enough that he didn't want to wake up? That maybe he'd wanted to die at Ardyn's hand? The very idea was unimaginably painful, and when Noctis spoke again, his tone of voice reflected that emotion.

"What do you mean he wouldn't want to wake up? Why wouldn't he?" Gladio pushed open the door, and the two of them walked in, but neither Luna or Noctis acknowledged their presence.

"I don't know everything that's been going on, I only know what I have seen for myself. What I've seen is you at least thrice a week, Prompto and Gladio at least once, if not twice a week, to see Cindy, if not myself, but Ignis? I've not seen Ignis since the day he opened his cafe. I've not heard from him since the day he called to tell me he was at least coming to the Gala."

Gladio's arm snaked itself around Prompto's waist, and Luna made a sad sound in the back of her throat. "And there's another thing I've noticed since you arrived last evening. Gladio may have carried him in here, but none of you have touched him since. I also didn't sense any of you on him when I went through his healing. I only sensed his own aura. When was the last time you confirmed your bond with him?" Touch. That was what she meant. When was the last time they'd touched him?

That was a terrifyingly _difficult_ question to answer. Noctis answered first, his voice soft and shaky. Last full moon, the typical thing he always did, guiding them through the changes back and forth as painlessly as possible. Gladio's answer was farther back. A pat on the back in the morning when they'd happened to cross paths six weeks ago was the last time he could totally confirm that they'd physically touched. When Prompto came up with his answer it was more recent, yet worse. "Ten days ago. I knocked a mug out of his hands. It wasn't deliberate or affectionate."

The air was thick, and when Luna spoke again it only got thicker. "If I were a werewolf I wouldn't want to come back either. I would already know that I was unwanted, and I would not want to return to that pain. An older wolf like Ignis, who has always lived to serve his pack? I would guess that he was already mentally in a bad place. Now it's physical too. He's probably very lost in his mind, and his soul doesn't feel he has a home to guide him."

"How do we fix it?" Gladio grumbled beside him when the rest of them couldn't find the words.

Luna shook her head. "You hope that he finds his way, and gives you the opportunity to prove that he was wrong, he does have a home, and it is with you."

"We will," Noctis whispered.

"If he wakes up."

"...If he wakes up," Noctis conceded, and Prompto felt his alpha's churning despair in his gut.

"Can we take him home?" Prompto asked, his eyes focusing on the swirling wooden patterns on the ground in front of him. "Maybe he'll do better in his own bed. Maybe it'll help guide him home."

Luna's hand against his shoulder was surprising, but also gentle and welcome. She wasn't angry, he realized, just concerned. She only wanted to help them be whole again. "He's stable enough to move. I would put him where he felt most at home in your house."

Prompto wasn't sure where that would be, and the guilt that had slowly building between the three of them increased by at least half. They were terrible packmates. They didn't even know where Ignis felt the happiest in his own home. Prompto bit back yet another sob.

"I'll...go get the car." Gladio's arm unwound itself from Prompto, and then Gladio was gone from the room. Soon after, Prompto could smell that he'd left the house entirely.

Luna left the room too after that, but Prompto lingered until Noctis softly (brokenly) asked, "Do you mind if I have a bit of time alone with him?"

"Yeah," Prompto mumbled. "Sure."

He moved back toward the door, and just as he clicked it closed he heard Noctis say, "I love you. With all my heart. Please come back to us."

Prompto was folding up the blankets they'd slept on when Cindy came into the living room, her arms full of books that dredged up memories of a place far away and a time long ago when school bells and bullies had ruled his days. "Hey, Prompto," his high school crush said to him as she sat herself down beside him. "I brought you some stuff I thought you might like." Prompto didn't want to seem rude and say that unless one of the books in her arms could tell him how to wake Ignis up and undo what had been done to him he wasn't really interested, and so he lifted the books out of her arms when they were offered, and sat them in his lap.

"Luna gave 'em to me before we got engaged, said I might be interested in making some of them, but," Cindy laughed as Prompto began to open one up to flip through. "I'm not really a technophile or engineer, just a mechanic. Seems like it'd be more up your alley."

It wasn't a way to wake Ignis up, but even through the heavy emotions that weighed down his heart and mind he saw the use of the books Cindy was handing over. She was right, this had nothing to do with cars, so of course it probably didn't interest her whatsoever, but it definitely interested him. "So magic and tech can be combined?"

"I guess so?" Cindy said with a shrug. "Don't you look at me. Not my cup 'a tea. Lemme know if you manage to do anything with them."

"Sure, but uh...why now?" Prompto had to force himself to close the book in his hands. It really was fascinating, the thought that things that he would imagine to fundamentally clash, technology and magic, could be used together to make something...more. The thought had never occurred to him, but he was definitely interested in looking through the theory and schematics. Still, Cindy'd had these books on her shelves for years, if she'd had them since before she and Luna got married, why had she dug them out for him now?

"Luna told me Ignis in there is in such a state because of a very bad man."

All the joy and surprise the books had brought him drained out at him at the mere mention of Ignis and why he was injured. "Ah...yeah."

"And that bad man has magic. A lot of it."

"He does."

"I really do try to keep myself out of magic shit. I married Luna, and she's amazing, but all the rules and things about the world she comes from...it's just beyond me. I get the basics. You guys are werewolves, and I need to stay away from vampires and stuff, but I like to think of myself as Luna's boring side, and I _really_ like it that way. One thing I do remember Luna telling me? You gotta fight fire with fire, or, in this case, magic with magic. That man's gonna come back. If he's got fire...well, shouldn't _you_ have a little fire too?"

It made sense. Ignis wasn't a weakling in a fight. He'd never seen him in action, but Gladio told him stories sometimes, of what Ignis could do when provoked. Noctis too had occasionally given insight into the idea that Ignis had often done work for Regis that had required a hand skilled in fighting and battle, but aside from the one wound in his eye, Ardyn had been unscathed. Ignis hadn't been able to face his magic. Noctis had, because Noctis had magic too.

If they could imbue tech with magic...they'd stand a fighting chance next time. Not just Noct, but all of them.

Prompto allowed himself a smile. "Thanks, Cindy. I mean it. Thanks."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting there, but we're not out of the woods yet.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday once again!
> 
> I don't really have a lot to say this chapter? We're still in angstland, yeah, but, as I keep saying, we're getting closer. I feel comfortable saying at this point that next chapter is the last full chapter of it. Then we'll start actually moving on toward...other things.
> 
> I've been trying to be super fluffy in Summer Home to counter the angst here, so if you feel overwhelmed, maybe go read the last few chapters of that, if you haven't?
> 
> Enjoy?! <3

The vision of Noctis dragging a reclining comfy chair from the living room all the way into the kitchen was adorable out of context. It evoked the same sort of cute mental image as a child dragging a chair from the table to the counter so that they could crawl up on it and reach something. It wasn't something Prompto himself had ever done as a child, but something he'd seen on television often enough. It was easy to envision a small Noct dragging a chair over to the counter to watch Ignis make cookies, though, at the same time, even though Prompto knew otherwise, he liked to imagine Ignis and Noctis growing up together. That would have been adorable too, Noctis would have gotten them in a lot of trouble, and Ignis would have gotten them out in time for dinner. A true pair.

The idea made Prompto sigh as he watched Noct awkwardly recline the recliner, making sure everything was in place before he stepped back and nodded at Gladio. Gladio wordlessly sat Ignis' prone form in the chair. "You sure this is the right spot, Noct?" Cute as it was, Prompto wasn't sure, but Noctis nodded all the same.

"Yeah. Luna said where he was most at home, and he was most at home...cooking for us." His voice cracked, and Prompto knew he was watching Noctis stifle sobs, but he didn't offer him comfort. Noctis didn't want it. Not yet. "I took that away from him."

"We all did," Prompto mumbled. They'd been doing it innocently, trying to pick up a slack left by the cafe, but that didn't negate the fact that they had. They could have done something else, ate dinner later, pushed Ignis to close the cafe earlier and come home regularly, but instead they'd just left him to it, and now Ignis wasn't here. He might not return.

"I was the one who bought the stupid cafe." Noctis said through gritted teeth. "I was trying...to get him to stay."

"What do you mean?"

"He means Iggy would've moved out eventually." Gladio said as shook his head. "I get it."

Prompto's initial reaction was to be surprised by that idea, but it was quickly followed by the _facts_. Ignis himself had told Prompto that before Noctis had formed his own pack he'd lived separately. He'd told him himself that he'd only moved into the den because it was crucial for young packs to bond. From there it was an easy jump to realize that Noctis was probably right. Once Ignis had thought they were properly settled...he'd move out. It was an even easier jump to see Noct's logic from there. If he had his own business to run, he'd be busy, too busy to buy a new home, and perhaps he wouldn't want to. Perhaps he'd see that it was better to come home to his pack at the end of the day. Simpler. Nicer. Happier.

How spectacularly that had apparently backfired.

"You couldn't have known that this is how it would end."

"He's right, Noct. Hindsight's 20/20."

"Hindsight means shit to Specs." Noctis spat. "We're here, and he's there."

Hesitantly, Prompto reached out and tugged at Noct's arm a little. "Do you wanna come take a nap? You might feel a bit better?" Sure, sleeping long term hadn't really helped any of them, especially with the way the drama had continued on, but they always said "try try again" right?

Noctis shook his head. "I'm gonna...take care of Specs. I don't want to leave him alone."

"Okay," Prompto sucked on his lip. "We can switch, later, okay?"

Noct nodded his head a little absently, and both Prompto and Gladio left him to getting blankets, finding his own chair to sit in, finding a book to read. It would have been sweet, if it weren't so sad.

Feeling awkward and disjointed, Prompto followed Gladio back to the room they shared a bed in, he pulled off the clothes he hadn't changed out of since early yesterday, starting with his shoes, and plugging his dead phone in to charge. It was at the time he got to his shirt that he realized Gladio wasn't doing anything. He wasn't even watching Prompto. He simply stood there in the middle of his room, staring at the floor. That...that wasn't good.

"Hey," Prompto said, crossing the room and sliding his two arms around one of Gladio's own before pressing his forehead against his firm shoulder. He tried to let the full force of his "omeganess" wash over Gladio, but it was hard to be comforting and calming when the truth was he himself didn't feel that way. "How're you holding up, Big Guy?"

"Like shit," Gladio admitted bluntly and honestly, and Prompto hugged his captive arm a little tighter.

"Tell me about it?" This was his job. His niche in the pack. Listen, comfort, help, soothe. Even with his emotions in turmoil he could do some of those things.

"It's not just that we've neglected Iggy." Though that was a part of it. Yeah. They were all feeling like shit over that. Prompto could blame the cafe all he wanted, but Luna had made it clear that no matter how it might have been part of the problem, the problem was bigger than that. It was _them_. They hadn't paid attention to Ignis. They'd all spoken words amongst each other, but not one of those words had reached Ignis' ears. They'd all touched and connected with each other, but the last time Ignis had been touched at all it was to push him away. Yeah, it was true that Ignis should have brought it up. They would have been horrified to hear about it, but they could have corrected themselves, yet the truth was Ignis shouldn't have needed to bring it up, and Prompto knew that if it had been him, he wouldn't have brought it up either. He too would have assumed his pack no longer wanted him. He too would have thought defending his pack from Ardyn was a good way to go. They were all guilty of that. They'd all neglected him. They'd taken him for granted.

"What else?"

"I couldn't protect you. Any of you." Beneath his arms he felt the muscles in Gladio's arm clench. "I wasn't there to protect Iggy. Maybe together we could have taken Ardyn down, or at least run him off. Perhaps together Ignis wouldn't...be like that. Instead Ignis almost died, and _you_..." he took a moment to breathe, and Prompto allowed it, knowing pushing him to talk would only hurt him more. "I almost lost you to that monster too. If Noct hadn't shown up--"

"But he did."

"Yeah. And I couldn't even help him. I left him to fight Ardyn. Alone. Like Ignis did. He could have died too."

"He's...our alpha. He's stronger. It's...natural." The words felt _un_ natural in his mouth. Nobody looked at Noct and saw a fighter. He was a sleepy nerd who loved cats. The Noctis he'd seen the night before was a new experience for him. A different side to him, the side that made _Noctis_ their alpha, and not the more imposing looking Ignis or Gladio.

"He's our alpha. He's supposed to be _last_ line of defense, not the first and only. He's not supposed to go into fights alone because we can't follow him. He's supposed to only step in when it's life or death."

"Gladio," Prompto sighed, pressing his whole face against his shoulder now. "That's what Noct did. Iggy fell. You couldn't get close. I can't even fight. Noct stepped in, let us get away with our injured packmate. You did what you could. We all did."

"I should have done more."

"How? He's magic, Gladio. You and I can't face it." Prompto's mind briefly wandered back to the books that Cindy had given him. Maybe with those, if the schematics worked would help them, but right now wasn't the time to bring it up. It wouldn't feel right to put hope in something where there might not be anything solid. He certainly wouldn't subject Gladio to that before he was sure. "Iggy couldn't face it either."

"I should have been stronger. I should have..."

"What? Died? Iggy would't want that."

"And what do _you_ want, Prom?"

"Hm. I want a lot of things." The moment the words were out of his mouth he heard them again in his head, in a different voice. Ardyn. Ardyn had said those words to him, just the night before. He internally shuddered to think of them.

Gladio snorted, and Prompto let the thought of Ardyn slide away before he smiled into his lover's shoulder, knowing that was a good sound, especially right now. "Name a few."

"I want a real life chocobo." This time Gladio laughed, and it sent the good kind of tremors through his body. "I want...to be self sustaining. Like live here with you guys, but make enough money to know I'm not leeching." He was working on that one, but he wasn't there yet. He as gaining more clients, but he'd only had the photography site for a year. He was still earning a client base. It might be years before it was a job he could just...live on his own with, if he wanted to. "I want...for Iggy to wake up and smile." He wasn't gonna get that one. Even if Ignis did wake up, Prompto didn't think there would be a smile. "I want," he bit his lip before he whispered, "Is it selfish to say I really want three boyfriends?"

Gladio didn't answer for a moment, just long enough that Prompto began to worry. "Only if it's selfish for me to say the same."

Prompto sighed, a small flood of relief filling him. "Then I want three boyfriends. I don't care that one of them is ace, as long as I could cuddle and kiss him." Noct probably had no experience kissing, but that was okay. Everyone started off that way. Noct was smart, smarter than he led on. He'd learn quickly, and the idea of kissing one of those beautiful smiles...Of course, Noctis had to smile again for that to happen, and so long as Ignis remained lost in himself...Noctis wasn't ever going to smile.

"Anything else?"

"Oh, a lot of things," Prompto repeated softly, his arms loosening their hold on Gladio's own arm, "Like I want to eat Ignis' green curry, and I want to drown Noct in cats, and I want permanent and instant access to petting Pryna and Umbra, but right now, what I want the most..." he slid one hand into Gladio's own, entwining their fingers. "Is for you to fuck me." His face flushed, even now, after over a year of being with Gladio, it was still embarrassing, especially when it was said so bluntly, but it also sounded so good. It was something he'd be able to lose himself in, just for a little bit. Something that felt good for both of them. Sure, Prompto wasn't stupid. That goodness would be a lie, an illusion that would quickly fade, but still. There it was.

He didn't miss the way that Gladio's breath hitched. "You don't want to?"

"No," Gladio hissed, and suddenly Prompto found that yeah, he could smell it, how the suggestion itself had made Gladio _want_ it. It was a scent that only served to make Prompto want it more himself. "But, Prom, Noct's here, he's awake."

Normally, this really was a problem. They only stole moments after dates, or when Noctis and Ignis were both at work, or even occasionally late at night or very early in the morning when the other two were asleep. The thought of other people being able to hear you was a turn on to some, Prompto knew, but he wasn't one of them. The idea of disturbing his packmates, having them hear what they were doing was humiliating. ...But not today. "He'll understand, and we'll be as quiet as possible. If you want."

Gladio's response was to turn and kiss him. His hand freed itself and settling on his waist before guiding him to bed. They were very quiet about it, even when Prompto shuddered and ached to make noise, instead he bit his lip, held his breath, and buried his hands in his lover's hair, tugging and writhing to get his points across. It was good. It was always good, but when he lay in Gladio's arms after, he mumbled, guiltily, "Something was missing," and it wasn't the noise they hadn't been making.

"It's Ignis," Gladio breathed into his hair. "Ignis was missing."

Prompto's heart ached to know that Gladio was right.

They slept for a little while, only about an hour before Prompto woke up feeling restless and got up to shower. He dressed in his dirty clothes, not wanting to put on new ones, and not wanting to wander the halls naked. "I'll shower with you," Gladio grumbled, only bothering to pull on his sweatpants.

"I thought you didn't fall for that trap," Prompto teased, as he teased every time they actually ended up showering together, and like every time he teased, Gladio chortled deep in his throat, and ruffled his hair.

"Not a trap if I walk into it knowingly, is it?"

Gladio went straight for the bathroom, but Prompto slipped back to the kitchen, where Noctis still sat, Ignis still in his chair. "Any change?"

Noctis shook his head. "Did you guys have fun?" It was a pretty typical statement for Noctis to make about sex, and Prompto had been expecting it, but he hadn't been expecting the lack of emotion behind it. There was no anger or teasing. It was said in the same way someone you didn't really know well asked how your day at work had been. Polite, but no genuine interest. Grief, Prompto thought. Ignis wasn't dead, but Noctis was acting like he was. He'd been angry before, but now he was slipping into the depression stage. Ignis needed to wake up before he hit acceptance. Prompto wasn't sure there would be a "moving on" for Noct if he hit that stage, only an end.

Normally, his knee-jerk reaction was to say that yeah, they'd had fun, or even to say it was none of Noct's business. Instead, Prompto opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before saying, "I...don't think so?" He was surprised by the surprise in his voice, but he also found that it was the truth.

Before him, Noctis blinked, not having expected an answer like that, before he managed to say, "Oh. I'm...sorry?"

"Ah. It's. Ugh." Prompto hid his face in his hands, frustrated, not at Noct, not at Gladio, and not even at himself. "It wasn't...bad."

"Okay?"

"I just...ugh, I can't explain it, okay?" He'd explained it to Gladio fine, something had been missing. That something was Ignis, for both of them apparently, but how could he say that to Noct? It wasn't fun because we want a third? The man you're in love with? The man we're all desperately hoping wakes up? ...The man we've neglected and we don't even deserve?

"It's okay."

"Yeah?"

Noct nodded. "I tried to play a video game, to...you know." Noctis made a gesture with his hand, and Prompto nodded. Drown them out. Prompto got the message. They'd been quiet, but Noct had still heard and had politely tried to drown them out anyway. "I couldn't get into it. It didn't feel _right,_ to have a good time doing something while Specs is like this. It's like that."

Prompto's heart settled low in his chest, and he nodded again. "Yeah. It's like that."

"Go shower," Noctis said after a moment of silence. "Or maybe don't. Maybe the smell will be enough to wake him up."

"You!" He prepared himself for a half-baked retort, but fell quiet at the look on Noct's face. It didn't match the words. He was so used to Noct's teasing smirk when he said shit like that, but now his face was blank of any emotion at all except for sorrow. He was only saying the words, going through the motions. "You'll see. I'll smell nice after I shower." It was even more troubling that Noctis didn't even bother to reply.

He walked straight into Gladio's arms in the bathroom, digging his nose almost painfully into Gladio's collarbone as he tried to stop himself from crying. "I don't think Noct will survive if Iggy doesn't wake up."

Gladio didn't lie to him and tell him Noct would be okay. He didn't say that Ignis would surely wake up, and everything would be fine. He didn't say it would hurt, but they'd all move on. In fact, Gladio didn't say anything at all. He only held Prompto, and rubbed his back, and Prompto clung to him, knowing the unspoken truth was that it wasn't just Noctis that wouldn't survive if Ignis didn't wake up. It was all three of them. The guilt and grief would kill them all in one way or another.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday to you all!
> 
> I haven't replied to all of the comments I meant to from last chapter yet. I apologize. What I did manage to do was edit this chapter for you! That was honestly a feat all in itself this week.
> 
> We're almost out of the woods! *fist clench*
> 
> Enjoy!

They would have to order something in for dinner. Ignis didn't take up the whole kitchen, but the idea of working around him and the idea of him being there any time you turned around was disconcerting, and both Gladio and Prompto agreed that they couldn't do it. They also agreed that they didn't want pizza, but thought that maybe getting Chinese would be more agreeable. They finally agreed that the idea might sound softer to Noct's ears coming from Prompto's lips, and so he made his way out to the kitchen the moment he was decently clothed. What he found there was Noct bent over, not in a way that suggested he was asleep, but more like, "Are you praying?"

Noctis nodded, his eyes not opening, and Prompto frowned. It seemed like such a weird concept to him. He and his own family had never been overly religious, but since coming to the pack he'd learned that there were many "gods," just as many old civilizations had worshiped. The kicker was that most of those said gods were just...really powerful fae that no one wanted to mess with, or were literal sentient forces of nature that, again, no one wanted to mess with. Gladio had explained it once, because he (rightly) found it to be a fascinating subject, but he'd never seen any of them pray, in fact, he'd kind of gotten the impression that you didn't want to pray to the "old" gods, as Gladio had put it. You didn't want their attention. It didn't end well for you. "Who're you praying to?"

It took a moment, but Noct's eyes opened at last and he leaned back in his chair. "Carbuncle. He's...not a god. He's more a...benevolent fae guardian of dreams." Noctis paused, gnawing on his lower lip for second before continuing on in his same sort of even dead tone, "I met him once, when I was a kid. He's cute and kind, with a soft spot for mortals."

"So you were hoping he'd bring Iggy back." It wasn't really a question, but Noct nodded anyway.

"I asked him to guide Specs back to us. I can only hope that he will." Noctis fell quiet, and Prompto instinctively, sat his hand on his shoulder after a moment. The touch seemed to break a spell inside Noct, and he managed to smile when he looked up. "Sorry, did you guys need something?"

Prompto nodded, plastering a smile on his face. "We were just wondering if you thought Chinese was okay for dinner."

"Yeah," Noct said, nodding just slightly. "That sounds good. You know what I like."

"That I do." He gave his captive shoulder a couple more firm pats before he released Noctis and made his way back to their room. "Noct says Chinese is a go."

"Cool, you wanna order now, or wait?"

"Now. I'm...hungry." Even now, it was kind of hard to deal with how _much_ he had to eat, but he had to admit that it was true. He was hungry. They hadn't eaten since breakfast, and that had been at least eight hours ago, probably more. They all needed to eat, especially the unconscious man who couldn't. It had already been about a day since Ignis would have eaten anything. He was going to be literally starving if (no, _when_ , he had to think of it as he would wake up.) he woke up. Prompto resolved to make sure Ignis got all the risotto and paella in the city when he woke. His heart sunk to realize that it had probably been a while since Ignis had eaten either of those things that he liked so much.

He walked over to his phone and pulled it off the charger before starting it up again. To his surprise, when the lock screen lit up he had text messages, not from clients, but from Aranea. He unlocked his phone with lightning speed and pulled up the messages.

Aranea, 2:08 am: _Hey, Shortcake. I think we should talk._  
Aranea, 2:09 am: _Crow's Nest on 9th, 11 pm tomorrow night. Come alone._  
Aranea, 2:10 am: _Kidding. Bring a buddy, like your alpha said. Or five buddies. Idgaf._  
Aranea, 2:10 am: _Text back to confirm. Don't waste my time. I got places to be._

When Prompto finished reading the messages, he realized that he'd stuck a finger between his teeth and was gnawing on it nervously. He also realized that Gladio was staring at him. "Uh, gonna have to hold off on ordering Chinese for a second. Okay?"

"What's wrong?"

"I've got texts from Aranea." Truthfully, though they had exchanged phone numbers, Prompto had never really expected to hear from her again. He hadn't exactly shared a lot of information with her after all, but there they were, and he had promised to show Noct everything she sent, and to be super careful.

To say that Noctis was displeased to see these messages was a bit of an understatement. He outwardly managed to keep a very straight face, but Prompto could feel bits of anger, worry, and fear bubbling through their pack bonds. "I can take Gladio with me."

"Of course I'm going," Gladio grumbled, arms folded across his chest.

"I'm going too."

"Noct. You can't."

From his seat, Noctis growled softly, and Prompto felt like Gladio ought to have known better than that. An alpha typically really did not like being told what they could or couldn't do something, at least not so bluntly, and especially not by someone lower than them in their pack. That had been a bad move on Gladio's part. "And just why not?"

"Someone needs to stay here with Iggy, and if we're both going, it's gotta be you."

The logic, and the reminder of Ignis' condition was enough to poke a hole in Noct's emotional balloon, and Prompto felt like he watched Noctis deflate back down to his normal size. "I know you're right," he grumbled reluctantly, "But what if something happens?"

"There will be two of us there, and, honestly Noct, I don't think Aranea is going to hurt us." Prompto was actually almost one hundred percent sure that if Aranea had wanted to hurt him, he really would have told him to come alone. If she had wanted to hurt him, she could have just stalked him and shown up somewhere he'd be alone at night, which, admittedly, wasn't a lot of places, but it was possible! If fighting a werewolf was like "fighting a bear" as Noctis had put it, he wouldn't have put himself against two, if he wanted to walk away alive, nevermind that he wasn't really trained to fight or anything. Aranea didn't know that.

Not only all that, but, "What if I was right all along? What if Ardyn placed that woman there? What if she found something out, and it helps us end this?" That was the ideal scenario, Prompto supposed, but everything had been so terrible for the last few days that something positive had to happen, right? Sure, he'd spent an entire horrifying year in Ardyn's den of murder, but he'd been alone then. He wasn't alone anymore. Together they were all more.

"You will keep me posted," Noctis commanded.

"Of course, dude. I'm not stupid." He reached out and ruffled Noct's hair, and for the first time all day, Noct gave a chuckle. It was weak and soft, but it was there, and that made Prompto feel good.

They ordered Chinese, and after it was gone Prompto sent Noctis to bed. If he and Gladio were going to go out and talk to Aranea later that night, Noctis needed a bit of sleep. Noct was reluctant to leave Ignis' side, but, he went anyway, stripping his clothes off as he disappeared into his room. Soon after Prompto felt the pain of changing that indicated Noct had decided to shift forms, and Prompto and Gladio settled in and read. Normally Prompto wasn't a big reader, he much preferred Gladio reading to him, his deep timbre both entertaining him with the story and lulling him to sleep. He knew Noctis was the same way, he couldn't usually focus on reading a story, but he could listen when Ignis or Gladio read to him. It had been one of the first tender sweet things he'd noticed between Gladio and Noct way back when, on a day when Noct had been especially tired in the evening before dinner. He couldn't remember what book Gladio had been reading, but he remembered the affection and sweetness of Gladio's voice, and Noctis leaning against him as he read. From there, Prompto had fallen to the drug of his voice telling stories too, but today he didn't want to hear about a wizard who couldn't get near electronics and lived in a basement take on the supernatural world. Today Prompto was looking through the books Cindy had given him.

They really were fascinating. The schematics of how to make the objects made sense, he'd spent a couple of years in school learning about this sort of thing, when he'd still been wishy washy about what he wanted to do, and though he didn't have a degree, he definitely knew enough to follow what the book tried to tell him. They described a multitude of things. How to make a projectile that caused gravity to increase exponentially in a small area, a flare gun that caused debilitating pain to any evil that saw it, a circular saw that could cut open a pocket dimension, a camera that actually stole your soul, and that was just the beginning.

He understood the building side of it, what went where, and how it worked like that, but the magic side of it...not so much. All the magic he'd seen so far was an elemental sort of thing, storms and fire. This all seemed a lot more delicate and complicated. Could Noct do this kind of magic? Or would he have to ask someone else? Like Luna? ...Who he'd have to pay a hefty price to and didn't take cash, he was sure. After the second book he was also sure he wasn't going to learn anything more until Noct or someone else took a look at it all. Knowing that, he kept looking, and he was on the third book when he heard his phone alarm go off, and he got up to his feet.

He found Gladio, book still open in his lap, chair pressed as closely as it could get to the side of Ignis' recliner. His head was pressed against their packmate's shoulder, one of Ignis' hands held captive in both of Gladio's own. It would have been sweet, if it weren't so sad. "Do you want to stay here with Ignis?" Prompto asked, an emotion between jealousy, sadness, and guilt twisting inside of him. "I'm sure Noctis would be fine with coming instead."

"No!" Galdio's head jerked up from it's position, as though he hadn't heard the alarm at all, and was only now just responding to the sound of Prompto's voice. "No," he repeated more softly, "Let me go, Prom. Let me be there to protect you." Right. The protect thing that lurked deep in the bones of all dominant wolves, but especially in Gladio's, and especially right now.

"I don't think it's going to come to that."

"Still."

" 'Kay." Prompto sighed. "One of us is still going to have to wake up Noct."

"I'll go."

It only took a few seconds to properly close all the books and set them on the island, and Prompto spent the rest of his time waiting for Gladio to return watching Ignis. He seemed the same as before. His eyes were closed, his chest rose up and down steadily, and inside himself he could feel that there was still a nothingness waiting for him at the end of the of Ignis' bond. Prompto knew that they said the longer a person was in a coma, the more likely it was that they'd never wake up. It had barely been a day, but already it felt like it had been too long. It felt like Ignis was lost to them forever.

Prompto bit his lip in an attempt to keep his throat from shutting with emotion. "Please come back to us," he whispered, leaning over the comfy chair so that he was looking directly down at Ignis' silver scarred face. "I know. We let you feel unwanted, but I promise it's not true. We want you. We love you so much." His lip trembled with the effort of not tearing up for what felt like the thousandth time that day. "If you wake up, we'll never let you forget it again." He went so far as to lean down and press his lips against Ignis' too warm forehead, but when he pulled back, his eyes were still shut.

It wasn't long before Gladio returned, a sleepy, despondent Wolf-Noct close behind. Rather than change back into human form, or sink down onto the floor, the wolf literally slunk up onto the recliner and set his chin on Ignis' shoulder, his entire body heaving a great, sad sigh as it settled back down. Prompto knew that Noctis was probably aware that it wasn't safe to add the wolf's weight to Ignis' weight. The chair might collapse, but he didn't seem interested in moving at all. Prompto watched until he felt Gladio's hand on his shoulder, and then they quietly left the house to meet up with Aranea.

The Crow's Nest in question wasn't too far from their home, a ten minute drive at it's worst, and they arrived before Aranea. "Sun's only just fully set," Gladio said as they sat down in the corner booth. "She's probably still rising from her coffin."

"Do you think vampires really sleep in coffins?"

Gladio chuckled. "Some probably do, and it ain't really sleep. Iggy--" Gladio stopped for a second, just long enough for them to both know that even saying his name right now hurt, "Once told me that they die when the sun rises. Like, doesn't matter where you are, what you're doing, nothing. Sun rises, you drop dead." Gladio brought his hand down onto the table with a thud for emphasis. "And, if any light gets to you, you die forever. Coffin is probably a pretty safe place to be, honestly."

Prompto wrinkled his nose."So you literally die with the sunrise and come alive again when it sets?"

"Yep."

"As though vampires didn't sound creepy enough."

Naturally, that was the moment the door decided to open and Prompto saw Aranea enter the diner, wearing skin tight pleather pants and a midriff showing halter top. It was a good look on her, no doubt about it, it hugged and showed off all the right curves in all the right places, but it also definitely wasn't a subtle look. As she sat down across the table from them, Prompto found that he had to look at the scratched up tabletop, because when it came to Aranea, there were only two places to look, one of them was magically hypnotic, and the other was likely to get him slapped. Or teased. Or both. Ugh. _Both_.

Instead of hello, Aranea said, "I'm surprised your alpha didn't insist on coming with. Or Ignis, actually."

"I'm Gladio."

"Nice. Aranea."

"Pleasure, I'm sure." No one commented on how much of _not_ a pleasure Gladio made it sound, but Prompto was also pretty sure that if he were looking up at her face, Aranea wouldn't exactly be smiling right now.

Prompto himself was just going to go on ahead and ignore the subtle hostility between them. Yeah. Definitely just...going to go ahead and pretend that wasn't totally a thing that was happening right now. "Iggy's kind of...not available right now, and Noct's watching over the den. So it's just us."

"Something happen?" She asked sharply. "Is Ignis okay?"

'Okay' wasn't really the word Prompto would use for anything that had happened in the last day or so, but, "He's alive."

"Then it's okay. Might not seem that way now, but it is. Just keep truckin'."

Prompto swallowed hard. Phlegm seemed to get stuck in his throat, making it feel sticky and gross. He nodded. "I guess that's true." They could work with alive. Dead was just very final.

"So what did you want to tell us?" Even though Prompto was keeping his his eyes trained on the tabletop, he could see Aranea's body move in a way that he assumed was a shrug to answer Gladio's question. He could feel Gladio's frustration filter down through their pack bonds, and Prompto wanted to reach out and kick his boyfriend. Calm down. They all just needed to calm down. At the very thought, Gladio relaxed a little next to him, and whether it was forced or not Prompto internally sighed in relief.

"The truth is I found out shit," Aranea finally said after what felt like a full minute of silence. "Nothing at all."

Prompto looked up, and almost made the mistake of looking her in the eyes before remembering to look somewhere else. This time that somewhere else was her shoulder. "Really? _Nothing_?"

"Yeah, and that tells you a whole lot of shit."

"It does?" That didn't really make a whole lot of sense, but beside him, Gladio nodded.

"Yeah," Gladio reluctantly said. "It actually does."

"What does it tell you?"

"Magic," Aranea growled. "Nothing is what you find when magic's wiped it all clean. Not your little wolf magic that let's you feel connected to each other, not our hypnosis, but real fucking magic. If you do it right, magic can take care of blood, fingerprints, DNA, even the body, but _only_ if you do it right."

"It's what Noct used to do for the pack," Gladio admitted softly. "They'd sent someone out initially, usually Ignis, to check it out, and if a...messy situation occurred, Noct would come in and make sure nothing could be traced back to the pack. It was never an easy kind of magic for him, too much devil in the details he always told me, but he managed. I've heard most packs have a witch on payroll for when they don't want questions asked." Prompto almost said that they didn't have a witch, he'd never even knowingly met a witch, but then he remembered that they had Noctis now. Surely Noct would do for them what he'd done for his father, if the need ever arose. Prompto hoped it didn't.

"So you think a witch did this?"

"Or a wizard. Or a warlock. Or a fae. Or a mage. Or a demigod. Something truly magical at its core." Aranea's body leaned forward, and she placed her head in her hands. "I know it don't seem like much, but I think it's important."

"Why?"

"Because I think that means you're right, Blondie. Whoever did this was sending _you_ a message. I mean, if they got rid of everything else, bothered to drag a vampire all the way from Gralea to here, why wouldn't they get rid of the body too? Really they left her out in the open to be found by anyone, but not just anyone found it. You did. You, with your blond hair and freckles that matched hers. You, the only person who had an appointment to be at the peer that day. That wasn't the body dump of a stupid murderer. That was someone sending you a message. Someone magical, and that means you really need to be careful. Stay home. Don't go out alone. I didn't want to tell you that over a text that could be traced."

"What do you care?" Gladio growled. "What's in it for you?"

"Nothing, really." Aranea's pretty, painted lips frowned, "Shortcake here told me everything he knew when I asked, even though his pack frowned upon it, and so I'm returning the favor. It's polite." Gladio snorted. "Hey, I didn't say you had to believe me, but it really is just a warning. Watch your backs. I don't know who or what did this, but I know it's magical in nature, and I don't know about you, but I don't want to get in the way of real magic like that."

Prompto smiled. "Almost sounds like you're _worried_ about us."

"Hey, don't go reading too far into it, okay? Just returning the favor." Prompto watched as the vampire fished around into her back pocket and pulled out her phone. "Anyway, I gotta get going."

"You're leaving already?"

"Yeah," she stretched her long arms up and over her head. "Back to Gralea. The guys have been alone too long, and it's clear staying here's not gonna do me any favors. So, time to head back before I end up stuck between rocks on the beach." Prompto watched her get up, eyes now focused solely on her belly button. It was an innie. "Oh, and Prompto?"

He was pretty sure that was the first time she'd actually used his proper name. "Yeah?"

"For what it's worth, I really am sorry about whatever's going on with Ignis. He really was a good guy back when I knew him."

Once again his throat threatened to completely shut as emotions washed over him like a wave from the sea. "He still is."

"Let me know if you find anything else out, okay?"

"Sure."

She was gone then, the chime of the diner's doorbell ringing softly as a final sign of it, and aside from the staff and a few people trying to sober up from a few too many drinks, he and Gladio were left alone in the diner again.

"It was definitely Ardyn, wasn't it?" Gladio finally asked a minute later.

Prompto didn't want to imply that he knew a whole ton of people, because he didn't, but, "I can't think of anyone else would do this...like this." First this girl who looked like him, and now Ignis lay at home injured after almost dying. It was a trail that led directly back to him. A trail of torture and pain that was meant to built up their fear and anxiety before he struck the final blow. It was working. "Do you want to get something to eat?"

His boyfriend shook his head. "Nah. Let's just go home and get some sleep. It's...been a long day."

They left a tip for the waitress' wasted time, and climbed back into the car that they both knew Ignis should be driving. They didn't say another word to each other the whole way home. Just then, it felt like there was nothing else to say. They were tired, and frayed, and tomorrow didn't look like it was going to be any better, at least not while Ignis remained unconscious and Ardyn's presence continued to loom over them like great dark storm clouds. Prompto could only hope that the sun made everything look better in the morning.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday once again to all of you!
> 
> Fun Fact: I cried while writing one of Gladio's bits in this chapter. Not full on ugly cry, but cried all the same.
> 
> Another Fun Fact: I was supposed to have a Summer Home chapter to go with this chapter ready to go for Wednesday, but it's...not done yet. I WILL FINISH IT. But probably not before Wednesday.
> 
> Please, please, please enjoy the chapter. <3

It was still the middle of the night when Prompto woke up feeling not quite right. He swallowed, trying to get the dry feeling off the roof of his mouth and groggily lifting his head to glance over the clock. It barely three in the morning. Definitely no time for him to be awake yet, especially after having been up until after midnight. He groaned a little, flopping back over and twisting himself around so that he could snuggle his way back into Gladio's embrace. Three more hours. Surely he could manage to sleep for at least three more hours, right?

Then it hit him. That "off" feeling. It wasn't an _off_ feeling at all. It was Ignis. Ignis' pack bond wasn't a fog of nothingness anymore. The locked doors around his heart were back up. Ignis was awake.

Prompto scrabbled out of bed so quickly that he knew he kicked Gladio at least twice, but he knew Gladio wouldn't be mad at him, not when he began to feel it too.

He almost ripped the door off its hinges in his hurry to get to the kitchen, but when he arrived, the comfy chair Ignis had been resting on was empty. For a moment panic filled his entire being. Where would he have gone?! The feeling had only started a minute ago! He checked the bathroom, and it was empty, as was the living room, dining room they never really used, and the parlor. Luckily, when he came back to the hall of bedrooms with Gladio by his side, he found Ignis in his own room, standing in front of his window, staring out at the street. "Iggy!" It took all his self restraint to not fling himself at the man, even moreso when he spoke in a dull monotone.

"Go back to bed, Prompto. You too, Gladio."

"Like hell we will." It wasn't often that Gladio resisted even not-full on-orders, but Prompto thought he was right to do so here. This was important! "You just woke up. Do you even know what day it is?"

"It's Sunday. Early, I suspect, by the lack of cars."

For a moment, Prompto hesitated, but then flicked on the bedroom light. After being out of it for so long, Prompto thought the light might bother Ignis, especially with his silver wounds, but if it bothered him at all, he didn't show it, and neither did he move away from the window. "How do you feel?" Ignis didn't answer, and the silence stretched between them before Prompto prodded. "Iggy?"

This time, he spoke, but it wasn't an answer, instead he whispered a horrifying question. "Why am I alive?"

Ignis' quiet was matched by Gladio's loud. "What kind of question is that?!"

"I'm not _daft_ , Gladio. I know what he did to me. He melted silver down upon my face, not a thing easily remedied. Rip it off, and I bleed to death from wounds that will not heal or clot. Leave it, and it burns a hole through my skull and straight into my brain. In either instance, I honestly ought to have died. So why am I still alive?"

"You're wound up," Gladio said, striding past Prompto into the room. His steps were purposeful and heavy, but when he stopped behind Ignis, he reached out with the gentleness Prompto had come to expect from his boyfriend and set his hand on his shoulder. Touching. Prompto breathed in with relief. They had to keep touching him, reassure him that he'd been wrong. They wanted him around. "Why don't you get into bed, actual bed, and sleep instead of just being...out? We can have this conversation in the morning, after breakfast maybe."

If they'd expected this to be easy, they ought to have known better. "I am awake _now_ , Gladiolus," Prompto sucked his teeth, he couldn't help it. Ignis never ever used Gladio's full name unless he was really serious. Prompto had only heard him use it once or twice before, usually in regards to his kitchen and the care of certain utensils. "And since you would rather stay awake, I would like to have this conversation _now_. Answer the question; why am I alive?" That time it was an order, and Gladio sucked his teeth a little before he hissed out an answer.

"We took you to Luna."

Prompto heard Ignis' own quick intake of breath. "And what was the price?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Because it does!" Ignis exclaimed, his hands coming up to cover his face for a moment. "Last I checked, we don't have a lot of possessions that are very important to us on a level like that, certainly not ones we carry around with us. So what was it? Noct's voice? Prompto's sight? Your firstborn child?"

"I thought only witches wanted firstborns," Prompto said, trying to eek a laugh or chuckle out of either of them, but Ignis only sighed, as though defeated.

"No. It's...not. Fae like them too. The potential they carry. Rumpelstiltskin is the most famous example."

"Oh yeah. That asshole."

Ignis did chuckle this time, but it was fake and weak. Seconds stretched out into a minute before he asked again, more softly. "So what was it?"

"The ring," Gladio said at last. "Our ring. Your ring." He made a sound of frustration as he tried to make it clear what ring he meant. "The ring you made, and had given to me."

Prompto watched Ignis' arms fold across his chest, his eyes still watching out the window. "I thought I had Noct tell you to sell that ring."

"He did. I tried a few times, but, I'd get down to the shop, and I'd try to hand it over, and everything it meant to me...Do you even know what that ring meant to me?"

"Anger?" Ignis guessed, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, and Prompto shook his head. No. Not anger. "Distrust?" No, Prompto thought again. Gladio wouldn't keep such a thing kept safely in his t-shirt drawer, locked away, but always within arms reach. "A reminder of what we never really had?"

"No," Gladio said it this time, echoing Prompto's thoughts. "A reminder of what we _did_ have. A symbol of what I want to have with you again someday. A sign of how wrong I was. It was a thing that hurt me, but it was also--" Gladio licked his lips, "Something I _loved_. When I looked at it, I could remember your lau-gh." His voice broke on the word laugh, and Prompto could hear the shudder of his breath as he tried not to cry. Prompto felt like he should leave. This was such a really personal conversation, yet he found his legs didn't want to carry him forward or backward. He was stuck in his spot, listening. "And I remembered how I took that laugh away from you. I want to hear it again. Just once."

Ignis said nothing, and Gladio pushed on. "I wore it, you know. Every day, until you changed me."

"Did you?" Was it just Prompto? Or had he just heard Ignis' voice break too?

"Y-yeah. On a chain around my neck, because I knew I wasn't worthy of wearing it on my finger. I wasn't worthy of being called _yours_."

"That's not--"

"Yeah, it is! That's true, don't say it's not. Don't." Prompto watched Gladio's hand slide down from Ignis' shoulder down to the middle of his back. His thumb rubbed circles there, and he heard Ignis' breath hitch. "I couldn't sell it. It meant too much, but I would trade it a thousand times over for you. You're worth more than any ring, and I know we fucked up, we pushed you away. We didn't mean to. So, please don't say it wasn't worth it, because it _was_."

Down the hall, Noct's door finally opened, and Prompto had to find it in his jelly legs to move just a couple steps to one side, because he knew that if he didn't, Noctis would have knocked him over in his desperate attempt to visually see that Ignis was awake. "Specs?!" Sure enough, what was probably nanoseconds later, Noctis was in the space he'd been, eyes wide and desperate.

Gladio's hand fell away from Ignis' back, and Gladio managed a wan smile in Noct's direction. "He's here."

"Thank the gods!"

Noctis sobbed, and then he was in Ignis' space. His arms grasped for any space he could keep hold of, tugging and squeezing until Ignis finally turned his head and pushed at Noct's shoulders to put distance between them. "Noctis, that hurts!" He snapped, and Noctis instantly stopped, but Prompto didn't think it was the declaration of pain that made him stop. That certainly wasn't the reason why Prompto felt like his blood had run cold in his veins. It wasn't why Gladio gasped, his hands clenching into tight fists.

"Your eyes." They'd sort of grown used to that angry red scarring that had overtaken the one eye, and the spatters that were lesser marks over the other eye, his nose, and his lips, but Prompto knew he hadn't been expecting anything but that green gaze to stare back at him once those eyes opened again. What they saw now wasn't green at all. Every bit of his eyes, even the pupils, were a milky gray. "How much can you see?"

"Hm," Ignis paused before he asked, "Is the light on?"

"Y-yeah," Prompto choked out, knowing that the question itself answered the question perfectly.

"Then I can see nothing at all."

Prompto didn't bother to try and stop the tears from falling. "But you'll see again, right? Someday?"

"Oh, yes," Ignis said, his lips curling into a smile. "It wouldn't be long at all, actually, if not for the silver aspect, but with it...months, maybe over a year before I can see with any real clarity. Too long." It wasn't time itself that made it too long. Ignis was so old that a year was surely not a long time at all, but...Ardyn. Without sight, Ignis was practically helpless. Ardyn could get to them in that amount of time. Finish the job. They couldn't let it happen, they had to let Ignis know that, and Prompto opened his mouth to make those very vows.

Noctis beat him to it. "It doesn't _have_ to be that long."

"Whatever do you mean, Noct? Of course it does."

"No," Noctis said, reaching out and taking Ignis' hands gently, but no more less desperately than his hug a minute ago had been. "It doesn't. Not if we...combined our energy."

Gladio was moving then. "Let's go," he hissed into Prompto's ear, and Prompto found himself thoroughly confused.

"Why? What's going on?"

Gladio paused just long enough to let Prompto watch as Noctis sank to his knees on the floor, still holding Ignis' hands. Later, when Prompto's brain was able to fully process the scene, he would think that it didn't look like a proposal. It looked more like Noctis was revering a god. "I, Noctis Lucis-Caelum, formally ask you, Ignis Scientia, to be my mate."

"Yep. No. We're _totally_ going now." Prompto allowed himself to be tugged out of the room by the elbow, and he tried his best to not listen to the growing silence that was following Noctis' request.

Both he and Gladio changed clothes in record time and left the house without Ignis having said anything in return at all. Numbly, Prompto pulled on a helmet, climbed onto the back of Gladio's motorcycle, and before he was much aware of anything else they were at Walmart. At four in the morning. "Iggy would disapprove," he whispered to Gladio as they began to look through the clothing department, thumbing through shirt after shirt without the intention of actually buying anything.

"Ain't much else open this time of night," Gladio grumbled behind him. "Even the Crow's Nest closes at two."

While they looked at stuff, Prompto comforted himself by running his "fingers" along the pack bonds. There was a hole. Prompto usually thought of their pack bonds as strings, thicker or thinner with proximity, but right now there was definitely a hole, right there in the middle of their pack, like...like the pack was a blanket, and each of them held a corner. Right between Ignis and Noctis there was a hole, wide and uncomfortable. "What is that?"

He was happy that Gladio didn't ask him what "that" was. "That's the mate request. It's open and waiting for Ignis' answer. Trust me, you'll know when he answers."

"Why hasn't he answered yet?"

"It's not just a yes or no thing. I mean," Gladio pinched the bridge of his nose. "It is just yes or no, but it's not like marriage. It's so much more...involved, connected. It's not like if it doesn't work out you just go "oh, that was a mistake, let's get a divorce." And Iggy and Noct haven't been together for a while like we have, they have a lot to talk about, and Iggy probably isn't sure of anything except that he's blind and he hurts right now. I wouldn't be surprised if we're here all day."

"No. Nope. No way. I can handle being out all day, but we are not wandering _Walmart_ for a whole day."

Gladio laughed, really laughed for the first time since before their disastrous date. "That's fair," he said, his arm winding around Prompto's shoulders and pulling him close to his side. "I promise we'll leave as soon as IHOP opens."

" 'Kay," Prompto mumbled, sinking willingly into Gladio's side. "I'm good with that." For a moment, he closed his eyes, feeling content for the first time since Ignis had gotten hurt. It wasn't perfect, there was a hole in their pack, Ardyn was still out there, and Ignis was blind, but for the first time since then he felt like it might be okay in the end, and that was a huge relief. "How are you holding up?" He asked softly. "You...kind of said some really emotional things before Noct showed up to steal your thunder."

"I'm glad he stole the thunder," Gladio said gruffly. "I feel better for saying it though. Noct's not the only one who should have said a lot of shit to Iggy before now. It...hurts, saying it, but I feel...lighter? I guess?" Prompto felt Gladio shrug. "Iggy needed to hear it, and I needed to say it. Maybe we can move forward now too."

"That'd be nice."

"Yeah. It would."

They stood like that, stupidly staring at a display of t-shirts as though they were looking at a basket of adorable puppies until Gladio broke the silence once again. "Can I ask you something?"

"I think you just did."

Gladio playfully jostled the shoulder he had his arm resting on, and Prompto laughed. "Dork."

"Your dork."

"Damn straight." They both paused. "Seriously though."

"Yeah?"

"Why did you have my ring? I ain't mad about it, obviously, but, I didn't show it to you. It wasn't out in the open either. So why? How?"

Ah. Yeah. Prompto supposed he should have known this question was going to be coming up eventually. "I...uh...went to steal one of your shirts? And I just kind of...found it in the drawer?"

Gladio snorted, amused more than angry. "And you didn't think to put it back? Ask me about it?"

"You came home. It was crunch time. I panicked. You were all beat up. I totes forgot."

Gladio laughed again, deep, and Prompto felt it vibrate all the way down to his toes. "Well," he said, leaning down and kissing the side of Prompto's head. "I'm glad you did. Without it...I'm just glad you had it."

"Me too." Silence fell between them for a few moments before Prompto worked up the courage to ask, "Tell me about it?"

"The ring?"

"Yeah."

He was slow about it, Prompto feeling like Gladio was teeter tottering on exactly how to explain the ring, but in the end, Gladio shrugged and said, "I broke up with Iggy over a misunderstanding."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. It was bad, for both of us. I made a rash decision without knowing all the facts, and I refused to listen to anyone afterward. It lasted for weeks, actually the whole thing lasted over a year, but I got the ring a couple weeks later. Noct gave it to me, because I couldn't stand being around Ignis. He'd been going to ask me, apparently had been planning it for months. He'd gotten the ring resized and everything. He made that ring." Prompto remembered hearing Luna say that, or at least imply it, that the ring had been worth the life of the man who'd made it. "Most of what he made while he was human was sold for the pack, but Regis let him keep a couple pieces here or there, that ring was one of the things he kept. Noct told me he'd kept it for someone special, and he'd decided that I was special. I was supposed to sell it, like Iggy said, that was Noct's instruction to me at the time, but...how could I? How could I profit from that? It was like I'd stabbed him in the chest and he gave me his still beating heart to profit from. I couldn't."

"So you wore it instead."

"Yeah, around my neck on a chain. It reminded me every day of what an idiot I'd been, and then I went through the change, and I couldn't wear it anymore, so I stuck it in a drawer, where I knew it was safe, and then you found it, and I exchanged it for his life. Full circle."

"And you're really okay with that?"

"No better way I could have spent it."

Prompto pressed his entire being against Gladio, as through he could push all his love into him through the strength of the contact. "Thank you for telling me."

Instead of saying you're welcome, Gladio said, "I love you."

"I love you too."

It was almost six when they finally left Walmart, with only one small bag of impulse purchases to say that they'd been there at all. They'd put the bag in one of Gladio's motorcycle satchels, and Gladio had just handed him his helmet when they felt it. The hole closed, and Prompto felt Noctis' joy from his nose to his toes. A laugh spilled from his mouth as tears did the same from his eyes. His free hand clapped over his mouth, and he looked over at his boyfriend, who was doing much the same thing. "Iggy said yes."

"Yeah," Gladio managed. "He did."

Prompto cackled exuberantly, knowing he sounded like a madman, and knowing the employees just getting into work were looking at him like he was crazy. He didn't care. "He said yes!" He launched himself at Gladio, legs wrapped tightly around his waist, arms around his neck, and their lips locked as Gladio tried to balance them both without crashing down into his motorcycle. It still wasn't perfect, Ignis was still hurt, Ardyn was still out there. There was still work to be done, but now Prompto was sure. "Everything is going to be okay."

"Yeah. I think it is."

Prompto grinned, and laughed even more as he went in to kiss his boyfriend again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look. There's some sunshine. *squints at it*


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday!
> 
> That Summer Home chapter I talked about last week has been finished. I'm going to do some more minor editing and it will be up on Wednesday!
> 
> My birthday is also coming up this week, but this won't affect posting, there will still be a chapter next Sunday.
> 
> Have a great week, and enjoy the chapter! <333

When they returned home over an hour later laden with food from IHOP, it was Noctis who greeted them at the door. Before he even opened his mouth, Prompto noticed a difference in his scent. _Tamed_ was the word his wolf supplied to him. He smelled _tamed_ , and Ignis' own scent lingered on his skin. Not like sex, but intimate all the same. When his lips parted, Prompto realized they were red, and a little swollen. Kissing, he realized with glee. They'd been _kissing_.

Whatever Noctis had been going to say at first was paused when he realized that Prompto was staring at his lips. His cheeks stained pink, and Prompto chuckled internally. He wanted to tease him, just as Noctis always teased them, but he stopped himself. It was too new, he thought. He didn't want Noct to think he didn't approve.

"Thanks," Noctis said at last. "For, uh, giving us time to talk."

"I'm just surprised it only took two hours," Gladio said, and Noctis ducked his head.

"We agreed that I'd let him talk, and then I'd talk. Ten minute intervals. I got a timer out on my phone and everything." Noctis made a sound that Prompto couldn't quite describe. "At the end of my last turn, he told me that he accepted my request."

"How does it feel?" Prompto kicked off his shoes, and Noctis shut the door behind them. "To be mated?"

"Like..." Noctis bit his lip as he thought. "Everything? It's everything I always imagined it'd be, but it's also more. I can feel..." his voice drifted off for a moment before he continued on stronger than before. "He can't hide himself from me anymore, and that means I can feel all the pain he's in, but I'm happy to share it with him. I know he's asleep right now, and I know soon he'll wake because his dreams aren't pleasant. I know..." He drifted off again, and this time when he spoke again it was accompanied by a crack in his voice. "I can feel that he loves me just as much as I love him, and that's so wonderful it _hurts_."

Normally, Prompto wouldn't say that pain of any kind was good. He wasn't a pain person. He didn't know how people could find pleasure in pain, but, just this once, Prompto thought this was a good thing. A good pain. After decades of wanting and denying, they knew. They knew they were in love and could be together. If it was a little painful it was only the overjoyed feeling of that. "I'm really happy for you guys." It was true. He was happy for them. They deserved this. They needed this, not just Ignis and Noctis themselves, but Gladio and Prompto needed it too. It was resolution. It was a step forward.

Noctis ducked his head shyly again, his foot twisting on the floor like a child, but when he spoke his voice was clear and resolved. "There's something else."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Noctis took in a deep breath and looked up at both of them, meeting their gaze seriously. "I can also really feel how much he loves you two."

And there it was, the punch to the gut that seemed to knock all the air out of him. This wasn't good. If Noctis thought they were a threat to his new mating, that could be really bad. Dominant wolves were really territorial and possessive. He didn't see it a lot in Noctis. Noctis was usually really laid back for a dominant wolf, but about this? Even Prompto could see Noctis getting upset about this, if he thought it might endanger their relationship. "Noct--"

"No!" Noctis' voice sounded desperate. "Don't say it like that! Like I'm going to kick you out! Listen for a second, okay?! I'm trying to talk," his voice quieted, and he looked back toward the ground again, one hand coming up to run through his hair nervously. "I told you I'm bad at it, but I'm really trying, okay?"

Prompto snapped his mouth shut, unsure of whether to feel sad or proud.

"I'm not trying to say he loves you and I'm mad about it, and I want you guys to stay away from him. I...I'm trying to say he loves you, and I'm not such a complete idiot that I haven't noticed..." Noct bit his lip and lifted his head to look at the ceiling for a second before keeping his head up seemed to become too much again and it drifted back down. "I know how you look at him. You want him too. I. I want you to have him. If he says okay. I know I can't wholly satisfy him. I _know_. You. You could, and I'm okay with that. Just. Let me know if you take that step, okay? Just don't do it behind my back."

They were all quiet for a moment, and when it seemed like Noctis was actually done talking this time, it was Gladio that responded. "You're still kind of a complete idiot."

Noctis laughed a little, forced and harsh. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"And why's that?"

It didn't take more than two steps for Gladio to get in Noctis' space, his huge hands cupping his face and lifting his head up. "Because we want you too."

Prompto watched the words go into Noct's ears, all the way up to his brain and try to sink in. He also proceeded to watch the gears that made his brain work jam, before he saw them start to work in the same exact way Prompto's own brain always worked; denial. He could see it, the same sorts of thoughts exactly. _'Oh, he's just being nice.'_ or _'He doesn't really mean that.'_ He could practically see it written across his forehead, and he knew it was time to step in. "He's right. We want you too, Noct. Have for a while. Like, I don't care about the sex. I..." he coughed, clearing the embarrassment that rose to his skin through it, "I can get that elsewhere, but you? Can't get you anywhere else, right? Besides, you and Iggy are a package deal now, right? Can't take one without the other, and I don't think I'd want it any other way."

"Agreed, I'd never try to come between mates. It's wrong, and why would I wanna? I love you both. Prom loves you both. Package deal sounds like the deal of the century."

"It's up to you, and Iggy, of course." Prompto pulled at his thumbnails, because now, just now, he was really starting to realize how serious this was, and it made him nervous, like really nervous. "But we won't ask Iggy if you say no."

"All or nothing."

"Yeah. Definitely."

Prompto knew it was probably only a few seconds, but Noctis stood silent for what seemed like an hour, and in the end, it was Gladio who had to shatter the tense silence. "Is that a no?"

"N-no. It's not. Just. I." The talking was getting harder, Prompto could tell, and he supposed he shouldn't be surprised. He'd talked, _really_ talked, with Ignis for two hours today, and he probably hadn't been expecting this to be anything more than permission to date his mate. This. This he clearly hadn't expected at all. To be fair, neither had they. This was all touch and go, and Prompto knew he was going to want to nap for a long time when it was all over.

"Go on," Prompto encouraged.

Noctis shrugged his shoulders up to his neck uncomfortably before finally whispering, "I thought you're not supposed to get everything you want."

Gladio chuckled, patient and pleased. "If everything you want is Iggy and us, then you can have everything you want." Gladio bent the entire upper half of his body down just so that he could press his lips to Noctis' forehead, and despite his bulk and size, Prompto didn't miss the way Noctis leaned into it, like it was something he needed to keep breathing. "We'll talk to Iggy soon, okay? Not today, but soon."

"Okay," Noctis breathed. "You better make him happy."

"We'll do our best," Gladio promised as he pulled back at last. "You're probably hungry, yeah?"

"Specs too. He'll wake up soon, and he hadn't eaten yet."

"We'll feed him when he wakes then."

Noctis grinned, "It's IHOP. He's gonna bitch about it."

"But he'll eat it."

"Yeah," Noctis chuckled, and in that moment everything seemed normal again. "He will."

Gladio walked past Prompto on his way to the kitchen, taking the bags of food with him. Noctis didn't move, and after watching him for a second or two, Prompto moved forward. "My turn," he said, feeling bold as he took both of Noct's hands in his own and kissing the tops of them, before a devious thought entered his head. He lifted his head, smirked up at his alpha and said, "My lord," in his best fake-historical-drama accent.

The reaction was instantaneous. His face went red, and he pulled his hands out of Prompto's grip at lightning speed before pressing them to his shoulders in a light shove. "You're such a dork!" He said as laughter overtook him, his shoulders shaking, eyes closing. Prompto grinned. Score! That was exactly the reaction he'd been wanting. Laughter. They'd had so little of it that was deep and true. They said laughter was the best medicine, and just then, Prompto was inclined to agree.

"It's funny, Gladio said the same thing while we were out."

"Well he's right!"

" _Rude_."

Noctis laughed all the way to the kitchen table.

He was about halfway done eating his pancakes when they all felt the slight jolt of Ignis waking from a nightmare. It must have been bad, because he hadn't held it back, and Noct made a keening sound of sympathy, even as he tried to stand up and go to him. "No," Prompto said, lightly pushing at his shoulder to make him sit again. "I...haven't really gotten to talk to him yet, so...do you mind?"

Noctis shook his head. "Just make sure he eats too."

"I can do that."

Carefully, Prompto balanced a can of Ebony, the plate of food, and a can of whipped cream all the way down to Ignis' room. "Room service!" He chirped, and he grinned at the smile his antics won him. "How you feeling, Iggy?"

"Better," was the answer he got as he closed the door behind him. "The wound hurts, but that's not going to stop any time soon."

"Noct's sharing it with you?"

Ignis hesitated, as though it were painful for him answer, but then he softly said, "Yes. He is."

"That's good." Prompto said with a nod he knew Ignis couldn't see as he sat the can of Ebony and the whipped cream on the bedside table. "I brought food."

"I can smell it. IHOP, if I'm not mistaken." There was no disguising the distaste in Ignis' voice, and Prompto chuckled.

"Yeah, but there's no awful carpet smell to ruin the pancakes."

"A silver lining, I suppose."

Ignis insisted that he could eat by himself, because of course he did, but he allowed Prompto to set the plate in his lap. Prompto settled at the end of the bed to watch. His fingers were shaky and unsure, but he didn't drop anything, which was good. Prompto knew Ignis' pride didn't need another blow. "Hey, Iggy?"

"Yes, Prompto?"

"Can I talk while you eat?"

There was the strained sound of the fork scraping along the plate, and Prompto winced. It was almost as strained and awkward as Ignis' answer. "Far be it from me to try and stop you."

He took a deep breath in, and then out. He could do this. "I'm sorry."

"Prompto--"

"Just. Keep eating. Let me say it." That seemed to be the thing of the day. _Shut up. Let me talk. My turn._ Maybe if they'd done that more often before now, they wouldn't be here, like this. He waited for Ignis to either argue or acquiesce, and when the fork found its way back to the pancakes, Prompto pushed on. "You can dress it up however you like, but...we abused you. We didn't mean to, but we were stupid, and blind, it was _Luna_ who had to tell us that we'd fucked up. There's no excusing that. We should have noticed the absence of your skin on ours. We should have realized that you...you love taking care of us, and we weren't letting you. We were trying to show you that you could take care of the cafe and come home to us. Instead we pushed you away."

"I should have said something. Instead, I let it pull me deeper until I was an easy target."

"Maybe?" Prompto said, crinkling up his nose. "Maybe you should have said something, but, I wouldn't have, so how can I expect you to be better than me? I can't. All I can do is be really thankful that you're gonna be okay, and make sure you never feel like that again."

Ignis' milky eyes stared down at the half eaten pancakes for what felt like forever before he said, "Thank you." It was the answer Prompto wanted to hear, and he perked up a little bit inside. "Prompto?"

"Yes?"

"I...can smell the Ebony, but I'm not exactly sure where it is. Would you please hand it to me?"

"You got it, Igster."

"That's...a new one."

Prompto laughed as he handed the can over into Ignis' waiting hand. "Brand new, and just for you!"

For a while, Prompto contented himself to watch Ignis eat with mechanical motions. Up and down, side to side. He didn't seem to trust himself with anything else, but it was efficient, and soon enough the food was gone. "Can I lay with you?" Prompto asked as he cleared the dishes from his lap. "I...I wanna cuddle you. Is that weird? Cause it sounded a bit weird."

"No," Ignis said softly, with a matching smile on his face. "I'd...like that."

The truth was that Ignis' bed was too small for two, but the upside to that was that it made cuddling practically a necessity, and soon Prompto was curled into Ignis' side, his nose pressed against his ribs, and Ignis' fingers had found their way into his hair. It was nice, really nice. "Gladio's gonna want this next."

"He can't fit."

"He'll _make_ it fit." Ignis snorted. "Hey, Iggy?"

"Yes?"

"I already asked Noct, but, how does it feel? Being mated now?"

"Ah. It's..." Ignis clucked his tongue as he searched for the right words. "You know how the bonds feel? You can always reach them, and sometimes they bleed into each other, if we let them. Being mated is like...he's always there, on the edge of my mind. There's no bleeding, and no separate."

"Is that bad?"

"No," Ignis said quickly. "It's...intimate, in a way I'm not used to and can't describe, but it's right. It feels right, and then there's the magic."

Oh. Oh yeah. Prompto's heart sped up in his chest. He'd forgotten about that. Noctis didn't need to get his back sliced up anymore. Ignis would just share the magic. It wasn't just that Ignis got benefit from Noct for his wounds, Noct got a lot of benefit from Ignis too. "Good?"

"Powerful. It's so much that it feels like it wants to bleed out through my skin. I'll need to learn how to channel it, but Noctis says he can teach me the basics even without my eyesight. I know the principals, but, that's different than actually knowing how to do something. That's it for now about that, I suppose. I'll just have to grow accustomed to its presence."

"And your sight?"

"Hm," Ignis hummed. "Noctis thinks it will still take a month for sight to begin returning in earnest, but that's...much less time than it would have taken with just my energy working on the healing. It won't be all at once though. I'll probably actually need the glasses for a while."

"Cinematic irony," Prompto teased.

A soft, tired laugh. "Indeed."

"Hey, if you're tired, you should just go to sleep. We'll still be here when you wake up."

"I don't want to bore you."

"I won't be bored," he promised. "I could use a nap too." Everyone had only really gotten a couple hours of sleep the night before. Yeah, actually, a nice long nap sounded really good. Eventually, that nap was where they ended up. Ignis drifted off first, but it wasn't long before the sound of his even breathing and heartbeat lulled Prompto off to dreamland too. His dreams were comfortable, knowing that when he woke, his pack was still going to be whole.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday!
> 
> This chapter is a LOT of dialogue, and I apologize in advance.
> 
> There will also be a new _Summer Home_ chapter up on Wednesday, which, warning, will be about the time Ignis spent unconscious, which he talks about with Prompto this chapter.
> 
> I am also considering switching to updating every two weeks during this upcoming...Holiday Season, which for me starts Mid-October ( In this house, Halloween is a major holiday, okay? ) I'm not positive on it yet, but I wanted to warn you all before I just...came out and did that.
> 
> If I did this, and I ended up actually writing the end of the main story, I'd switch back to weekly updates. What I'm worried about is running through my backlog of chapters and having to switch to "Whenever I finish a chapter is when you'll get it." Which I hate doing.
> 
> Thank you for understanding in advance!
> 
> Enjoy the chapter. <3

Sunday faded into Monday, and life went on. Gladio had work that evening, and Noctis had work that morning, so after breakfast Gladio slipped off to bed again, and Noctis...well Noctis wasn't sure.

"Do you really want me to go to work today? I can call in, if you need me here."

"Noctis," Ignis said in his fondly exasperated way, "Go to work. You only work until four. Gladio will be here all day, and Prompto says he's only got a few envelopes to mail, photos to upload, and his site to update."

"Yeah, all my in person appointments are tomorrow," Prompto added helpfully. " 'Cause no one's busy on Tuesday, apparently."

"See? I'll be fine here. I won't be alone."

Noctis made a strained noise that said that he wasn't really convinced, (or that his dominant nature wasn't happy with the answer) but, "All right," he said at last. "You'll call me if anything happens though, right?"

"Of course."

Noctis made a different kind of strained noise that Prompto thought sounded happier, and then he leaned forward and kissed Ignis chastely on the lips. Dammit if it wasn't the cutest thing he'd seen all year, and dammit if Prompto didn't immediately seek to ruin it by silently making kissy faces at him. 'Shut the fuck up,' Noctis mouthed at him, his ears tinging a deep red. Prompto couldn't help it, he threw his head back and laughed.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing," Noctis deadpanned. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Have a good day!" Prompto called after Noctis as he fled out the door, still chuckling.

They waited until Noct's footsteps faded away into nothingness as he went down to the bus-stop (Prompto swore Noctis _liked_ riding the bus for some reason that he couldn't fathom.) and then Prompto went back to eating his toast, and Ignis sipped his Ebony, and for a minute everything was quiet. Then, "Speaking of calling people."

"Yeah?"

"Did my phone survive Friday night?"

"Oh! Yeah. I mean," Prompto chewed his bite before Ignis scolded him for talking with his mouth full. "The screen is all spiderwebbed, but it still works. I can replace the screen, if you want."

"Would you?"

"Of course! I can get a screen later and do that today. Did you need it now?"

"I..." Ignis sighed. "I need to get in contact with my employees, and I need to find out how much it's going to cost to repair the cafe."

"Right," Prompto said slowly, "I get that, but...can't it wait? You were out for an entire day, and..." He bit his lip, knowing the answer, but still feeling like his thoughts were valid. "You should focus on recovering." What had happened to Ignis would have _killed_ a normal man. Didn't that earn him a few extra days of rest?

"No, it can't. I understand what you're saying, Prompto. I don't plan on actually going back to the shop any time soon, but my employees deserve to know what's going on, as do my tenants, and I'll rest better knowing that things are being taken care of. It's impossible to know how much of the damage is just clean up, and how much will have to be replaced. It's...going to weigh on my mind until I call a contractor."

"Isn't there anyone you can have do that stuff for you? Like call the other employees, and get cleanup organized, tell the tenants it's okay?"

"Not really," Ignis hummed. "My best employee is Coctura, but she's barely legal to work full time. She's not even full grown yet. I can't ask that of her, and honestly, I wouldn't trust any of the others to do it properly."

Prompto sighed back at Ignis. He supposed there was no way around it then. "I'll go get your phone. Gladio's had it on your charger."

"I'll have to thank him later."

Prompto collected the phone and had Ignis talk him through how to get into it. There were a _ton_ of text messages that Prompto had to read out to him. Most of them were from his employees. Initially, the employees were shocked and concerned at coming to work to find the cafe in the state it was in, but, as time went on and he didn't answer, they got angrier and angrier. One of them had even quit over text. "That doesn't surprise me," Ignis had mumbled when Prompto had gotten to that point. "He was fairly dissatisfied with the job anyway. He wanted an easy job, and...I don't give out easy jobs."

The exception was Coctura. Coctura had been the first employee to text, but she was also the last, with her most recent message being, " 'If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know. I really hope you're okay.' " Prompto made a face that he knew Ignis couldn't see, but he hoped he would feel in his soul. "She's seriously _begging_ you to let her help you. Let her."

"She's practically still a child, Prompto, I can't place that kind of responsibility on her."

"I dunno, Iggy," Prompto scrolled back through all the messages. "Your other three employees are older, but they're really kind of acting like spoiled brats. Coctura is really worried, and it sounds like she really looks up to you. If I were her, I'd really..." his voice drifted off and he frowned down at the screen.

"You'd really be what?"

Prompto sighed, running a hand through his hair, and trying to dig up the right words for the feelings in his chest. "If I looked up to you like she seems to, I'd be _honored_ that you trusted me to help. I'd be really happy."

"Would you?"

"Yeah," Prompto nodded. "And I mean, it's just a few calls, right? Not like you're asking her to get the cafe up and running again."

"Of course not." Prompto smiled a bit at how horrified Ignis sounded at the very prospect of making her do that much for him.

"Iggy. _Call her._ Trust me on this."

"...All right." He let Prompto pull up her contact number and hit the little phone icon before he handed it over, and Prompto pulled up his laptop to work on photos while he pretended that he wasn't listening to them talking. It wasn't really a long conversation, it went through all the motions of Coctura's concern and worry over Ignis personally, and not just the cafe. She was horrified to hear that he'd been temporarily blinded in a "burglary."

_"But your sight will come back?"_

"The doctors are positive that it's only temporary, though I may need surgery at one point or another."

_"That's terrible!"_

"I'll live," Ignis said with obvious fondness in his voice that made Prompto grin behind his screen. "And that's the important thing."

_"What can I do to help?"_

She had to ask that five more times before Ignis actually relented.

 _"You can count on me, Mr. Scientia! I'll get in touch with everyone, and we'll have the cafe cleaned in no time! Then I can call in the contractor. Better to have someone who can see, so they don't try to deceive us."_ Prompto could practically hear her nodding with fierce determination on the other end of the phone. 

"I should give you a raise," Ignis sighed, his tone somewhere between relief and upset.

_"Don't worry about it right now! We can talk when you're better and the cafe is back up, yeah?"_

"Of course."

_"I'll call you when everything is finished, okay?"_

"I...appreciate it."

_"No problem! I want to keep my job after all. You just focus on getting better!"_

When Ignis finally hung up the phone, he sat it down on the table softly, and leaned forward, pushing his fingers up through his hair anxiously. "She deserves a raise," he repeated.

Prompto snorted. "She deserves a _promotion_."

"That too."

"It's good," Prompto said, reaching out and patting his shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner and not a condescending one. "That at least one of your employees likes you that much."

"I suppose it is. Every employer wants to have loyal employees."

"If not happy ones."

That joke earned him a small laugh, and Prompto smiled. Any laugh from Ignis' lips was a good one. "I personally would like to have both."

"Then you're already one step ahead of every big corporation. Congrats."

They lapsed back into a comfortable silence after that. Ignis seemed content to sit and listen to the music that Prompto had playing while he uploaded his pictures and calculated out when he was going to do things during the day. Ignis would need to rest later, and when he did, Prompto would run down, mail the pictures to their clients, and get a new screen for Ignis' phone. If Ignis really needed anything while he was gone, Gladio was in the other room trying to get back on his sleep schedule for tonight. He knew Ignis would hate to "bother" him, but if it came down to it, he was there, and Prompto knew he wouldn't be gone very long.

"Do you need anything?" Prompto asked as he closed his laptop. The clock in front on the stove read 11:34, so it'd only been a couple hours. That was good. Efficient.

"I'm fine for now."

"How does your face feel?"

"In what regard?"

"Like...pain?" Prompto frowned, before putting on his best robot voice and adding. "On-a-scale-of-one-to-ten, how-would-you-rate-your-pain?"

Ignis laughed again, softer, almost tired, but not quite, Prompto didn't think. "You do know that scale was around long before _Big Hero 6_ , yes?"

"Yeah, but Baymax is totally the best." He stretched his arms high up over his head, loving the way his shoulder popped. "So seriously, Iggy, how would you rate your pain today?"

"With Noct's assistance it's...about a four."

"And without Noct?"

"It would be double that." Eight. If Ignis hadn't taken Noctis as his mate, and Noct shared the pain...Ignis would be feeling pain at a level of eight all the time. The thought made Prompto clench his fist, and wish that he could do more to ease it. He wished there was something Ignis could take, but there was nothing that wouldn't just run through his system in a matter of minutes. On one hand, being a werewolf was the only reason Ignis would ever see again, and that was good, but on the other hand, it was also the reason he couldn't even take a pain killer to ease his pain, and Prompto hated that.

"I don't suppose that's going to fade in a month like your eyesight will start to return?"

Ignis chuckled. "Oh no. Noct figures, and I agree, that between the two of us, most things will be halved. Noct thinks that if he had lost his eyesight, his own eyes would begin to return in two months."

"So one month together."

Ignis nodded. "Noct figures the rest of it, the scarring and such, is equivalent to what...I used to do to his back. That tended to last roughly five years. The first two were always hardest, but after that the pain dulled to something more of an ache, only flaring up if he did too much. We figure that in a year, I won't need as much sleep or rest, and in three years, it'll be as though it never happened." Prompto didn't think that was quite true. The physical markings would fade, but the mental and emotional scars would linger forever, not just on Ignis, but on all of them. Ardyn had almost _killed_ Ignis. No. That would never go away. "For now though, between the two of us, I rest at a four, and I can live with that."

"You're not going to like sleeping a lot though."

"No," Ignis said with disdain practically dripping from his lips. "I'm not. All I can do is hope to not be as extreme as Noctis."

"Hey, just think of it as vacation."

" _Vacation_ ," Ignis hissed. "That's even worse."

Prompto laughed at his tone, but then silence fell between them again for a minute, and Prompto wish-washed between asking and not asking before pressing forward with; "What was it like? When you were asleep all that time?"

Ignis didn't answer immediately, and Prompto didn't try to make him. Eventually, his packmate opened his mouth and began to speak. "I was in a forest. It...wasn't a dream, at least, not in the traditional sense. I was aware that I was dying in reality. I knew that this was some sort of in-between. A waiting room perhaps? I wasn't dead yet, but, soon I would be. I was all right with it. I knew what I had probably died for. I knew how I _felt_. I..." His words faltered for a second. "I thought I knew how you felt about me."

"Ignis, we--"

"I know." He said quickly. "I _know_." He didn't. He really didn't, but Prompto let him go on. He had been the one to ask, after all. "There was a pull, toward one end of the forest, and I followed it. I followed it until it stopped, and suddenly I realized that I wasn't dying anymore."

"That must have been when Luna healed you."

"Yes, I suppose it must. I wasn't dying, and I could choose to return. I...am ashamed to say that I didn't bother to move for a long time. I didn't know what I wanted. I didn't want to return to what I was, to what I'd been, and I had no idea why I was suddenly not dying."

"Why did you decide to come back?"

It took Ignis another minute to gather himself well enough to answer. "I heard...I think. I think it was Noctis. I heard his sorrow, his despair. It ached, but when I reached out to give him comfort, there was nothing to connect us." Prompto remembered. He remembered that feeling of gliding along their bond and finding that there was no Ignis at the end of it. He remembered how devastating that had felt. "And that was when I ran in the other direction, but the forest was thick, and there was no trail, and my nose smelled nothing, my lips didn't form words. I got lost. I had no guide, and I only got deeper into the forest, away from death, but also away from my pack." Ignis bowed his head. "Every so often I'd hear someone. You, Gladio, Noctis. I'd hear you, and I'd follow the sound, but it was never enough. I would always lose my way again. I'd get more lost than I was before. I think the forest was perhaps a manifestation of my own emotions, and I simply couldn't navigate it. I've never been good at that sort of thing."

"How did you find your way back?"

"I think I once told you that when Noct was little he got lost, and Lunafreya brought him home."

"Yeah, I remember that."

"There was more to the story than that. I suspect there's even more to it than Noctis has ever told me, but he did tell me that before he found Lunafreya, he too had been lost in a forest, and eventually a creature called Carbuncle came to his aid."

Prompto took in a gasping breath. "Iggy. Noctis prayed to Carbuncle. He asked him to guide you home."

"Well," Ignis chuckled, "Carbuncle answered his prayer, because it was Carbuncle who showed me the way out of the forest. It he was he, who showed me how to wake up. Without Carbuncle I would still be lost. I owe Carbuncle a great deal."

"We all do," Prompto placed his hand into Ignis', and squeezed. Ignis squeezed it back. For a moment, it was just them, sharing the same space, until off in Gladio's room, a phone rang, and their hands jerked apart.

It was Gladio's phone, and Prompto could hear Gladio hustle out of bed to answer. They couldn't hear both sides of the conversation from the table, but Gladio definitely sounded pleased, and not long after, Gladio, looking tired, but grinning, came out into the kitchen area. "What's up?"

"That was the library," Gladio said, halfway between bewildered and ecstatic. "They want me to come in for an interview tomorrow." He laughed breathlessly. "I completely forgot that I even put in that application."

"Hm." Ignis said with a frown. "That would be my fault. My apologies."

"No," Gladio shook his head. "No. This is good. This is _really_ good."

"You're gonna do great," Prompto told his boyfriend with a grin, "And then you'll be able to quit the job at the club, and we can sleep together all night every night. Gonna be ah-mazing."

"That does sound pretty damn nice."

"Should we celebrate? I can text Noct."

Gladio laughed, "Wait until we see if I get the job, Prom."

"No way, you're gonna get it." Gladio was going to get this job, and Ignis was going to be okay, and Luna's party was going to be great, and life was going to go back to being _good_. Prompto wasn't going to let anyone, not even his own anxiety, tell him differently. Not today.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday!
> 
> So last week I mentioned that I might take this to updates every two weeks, and after this week, I think I'm going to go ahead and do that. NOT that I am giving up on this story, or that I'm abandoning it, or that I don't still love this story, but we really are getting into a busy time of year, and I think I need to slow my pace a bit, and do other things? Like I realized I'm deciding between writing other things, playing a video game I really want to play, or writing this to keep up with updates.
> 
> I've been doing this since January, and I need to slow down a little. *nodnod* It's not good for my psyche.
> 
> So after this update, the next chapter will be up two weeks from now on **October 21st**.
> 
> As I said last week, in the event that I actually finish writing the story, I will go back to weekly updates, no problem, but I'm losing my buffer here, fast, and I don't need the panic.
> 
> Thank you for understanding!
> 
> On that note, this was a chapter I REALLY enjoyed writing, and had kind of planned out way in advance, so I really hope you all enjoy it too. <3
> 
> P.S. Ignis makes off like he only knows Disney things through Noctis, but he really likes it too. We're onto him.

When Prompto returned from all his appointments on Tuesday it was 2:33, and Gladio was about to head out the door to get to his interview, which was supposed to begin at three.

"Good luck," Prompto said, instead of hello or goodbye. He crossed the distance between them, and pushed himself up on his toes to kiss his boyfriend. "And the button-up looks good on you." Prompto had always known that Gladio had work casual clothes in his closet. He'd seen the button ups, the jackets, the dress slacks, but he'd never actually seen Gladio _wear_ them. The only job Prompto had ever known Gladio to have was the bouncer gig, which, at it's most formal, required dark wash jeans and a muscle shirt. Not that the jeans and muscle shirt didn't look great too, but this was a different sort of great.

"So you're saying you want to see me dress like this all the time, huh?"

"No," Prompto said crinkling his nose, even though he knew it was a tease. "It's not...you." It wasn't. Gladio was tshirts, jeans, and leather. He liked funky bead necklaces, and thick banded rings. Gladio liked showing off his tattoo, parts of it, if not all of it, and this didn't do this at all. Button ups and dress slacks were _Ignis_ on a casual day. They were not Gladio. They didn't suit him. "But the novelty is real nice." Prompto ran the tips of his fingers up and down Gladio's arms, fully enjoying the combination of the smooth fabric and Gladio's rippling muscles under them.

"Thanks, babe."

"My pleasure." Prompto smiled when Gladio leaned down to kiss him again. It was starting to feel normal again. Starting.

"I gotta get going, but you'll watch Iggy while I'm gone, right?"

From Ignis' room an indignant, "I am not a child to be babysat!" came, and Gladio winced.

"He's getting bored, and the blindness makes it harder to entertain him than usual. He's...irritable."

Prompto couldn't blame Ignis for that. If he couldn't see, well, he literally wouldn't know what to do. Everything in his life required sight, at least for hand-eye coordination. They all knew that Ignis didn't like to be idle anyway. Ignis had been awake and mostly idle for two days, and it was going to be at least a month before he could start seeing again, let alone see on a level that allowed him to do much of anything. "I'll see what I can do." At the moment, Prompto had zero ideas, but they all owed it to him to try.

"Great. I'll be back soon." Prompto waved him out the door and then made his way down to Ignis' room. Ignis had gotten dressed today, fully dressed, and not just in bed clothes with house shoes. In fact, he was very much a slimmer match for the Gladio that had just walked out the door, a button-up, buttoned _all_ the way up, and black slacks with shoes. No jacket today. On his face rested a pair of sunglasses that had been dug out of some drawer or another. Every time he looked, Prompto couldn't help but feel that it looked painful. The frames had to at least hit some spots on Ignis' injured skin, but if it made Ignis hurt more, neither Noctis or Ignis said anything about it, and Prompto supposed it was probably more about his emotional comfort to wear them than it was his physical comfort.

"How did your appointments go today?"

"Good!" Prompto chirped, crossing the room and sitting on the edge of the bed. He pulled at his own fingers for a moment or two before he gathered the courage to reach out and place his hand in Ignis' own. To his relief it was Ignis himself who fully entwined their fingers. "Drank a lot of coffee. Talked a lot about weddings. Booked one for mid-July. Good day."

"I am glad to hear it."

And that was enough about Prompto. "Gladio says that you're bored."

Ignis sighed. It was one of those deep sighs, the exasperated kind, the bored kind. "I am."

"Anything I can do to help?"

"I doubt it," Ignis admitted. "Half the time I'm tired, and when I'm not there's not much I can do. You can't fix my eyes for me, Prompto."

No. Prompto definitely couldn't do that. "We could talk."

"What about?"

When asked the question, Prompto's mind naturally went blank. It drifted over what seemed like an ocean of blank thoughts until he pulled up one single idea. "Cindy gave me some books the other day!"

"Did she now?" Ignis shifted, and Prompto instinctively held onto his captive hand even more tightly, afraid that Ignis would try to pull away from him. He didn't, and after a moment, Prompto relaxed again. "I didn't take her for a reader."

"Are you calling my friend dumb?" It was a tease, and he let his amusement run down the pack bond to let Ignis know that. In return, Ignis smiled.

"No, and you know that. Lunafreya would not marry an unintelligent woman. Cindy just has her own smarts, and I don't think they lie with books anymore than yours do." Prompto didn't miss the subtle way that Ignis had just told him that he thought he was smart too. No. He didn't miss it, but he brushed it aside. He wasn't smart, not like Ignis with his facts and mathematical mind or Gladio with his books and memory. He was just him, and he was still working toward "and that's enough." He was getting closer, his pack helped, but he wasn't there yet. "What were these books about?"

"Magic!" Prompto piped up, letting the word linger in the air just long enough to let Ignis think that was all he was going to say about it before he added, "It's a whole series of like...textbooks almost."

"On magic?"

"Yeah? Like. No too?"

Ignis chuckled deep in his throat, and Prompto preened, knowing that he was amusing Ignis, distracting him from his blindness, his boredom. "Never let it be said that you don't know how to draw out the suspense, Prompto.

"Sorry!"

"Odd, how you don't sound sorry at all."

"Okay, okay," Prompto rubbed the back of his head, trying to think of how he'd actually explain this to someone else. "It's like...combining magic and tech."

"Oh?" Ignis said, sounding intrigued, and it spurred Prompto on.

"Yeah! It's really fascinating! There's a whole bunch of schematics on how to make like phones, and guns, and...I think there was even one that made use of a Tamagatchi -- Do you know what those are?"

"Noctis had one when they first came out. Said they weren't as good as cats."

Prompto laughed, rolling his eyes, "He _would_. Anyway, once you assemble or buy the tech, you enchant it, and it...does stuff. Each one does a different thing, sometimes even more than one thing depending on the circumstances!"

"Ah," Ignis said, shifting again, and Prompto tightening his hold on their joined hands again. "So it's a modern version of enchanted weapons."

"That's a thing?!"

"Of course," Ignis quipped. "Surely you've heard of Excalibur, at least through Disney media."

"Duh! I mean, of course I have! But, like, I thought that was just, you know, a legend."

"You would be surprised how much truth there is in "just legends". Enchanted weapons have been around for a very long time, some of them are so old and so deeply enchanted that they seem to gain a will of their own. There's many a story about the weapon choosing its wielder, and let's not even get into Harry Potter, where the wand chooses the witch or wizard."

"And you think that would work with tech too?"

"I...don't see why not. A standard enchantment might not work. You would perhaps have to enchant every piece separately, with a bit of the spell, and then assemble it for the full effect."

"Yeah! The book talks about doing that exactly! That's why it wants you to make your own, or disassemble it if you buy it. You gotta enchant it all separately." He paused, "Do you think this is something that you or Noct could do?"

"Noct?" Ignis looked vaguely frightened beneath those sunglasses. "Absolutely not. You've seen what he's like now. His magic is rather big and explosive, it comes out in bursts he can barely control. He's not one for the delicate and complex working that an enchantment would take. He can, he _has_ , when needs need, but it takes patience and focus he normally can't grasp. He understands how, the knowledge isn't the problem--"

Prompto interrupted him with a laugh, "He just eventually goes "fuck it" and makes it explode unless he's really gotta."

Ignis clucked his tongue. "Precisely. He might manage to enchant a weapon, after making several others cease to exist, managing to enchant several pieces of a whole at once? Never."

"Sounds like something you'd be good at it though."

"I wouldn't know, not yet. Knowledge-wise, I sat in on the lessons with Noct, when he first learned, but I never imagined I'd be able to use it, to share. I never dared--" Ignis paused, and Prompto didn't press, knowing that was the look of someone who was trying to gather themself back together to continue. "I never dared hope he would choose me. Not for the magic, I don't care about it, but..." His voice drifted off again, and Prompto filled in the gap for him.

"His love. You never hoped for his love."

"Yes."

"He felt the same way." Never, Prompto didn't think, ever had Noct thought that Ignis could love him. Would accept him as his mate out of love. He'd never even entertained the fantasy.

"I know. He told me so."

"Are you happier now? I mean, I know you're blind, and I know you hurt, and we hurt you too, and--"

"I am," Ignis said cutting him off. "I'm bored, but it will pass. I'm blind, but that too will pass. I will never not be Noct's mated now though, and...I'm happier for it." He paused, smiling wryly, "I'm happier with this," he lifted their joined hands. "And with Gladio's concern as well, even if it is irksome to be helpless."

"You're not helpless."

"I am though. I'm scarcely able to walk around my own house without tripping. I can't tell what clothes are what. I can't cook, I'll burn or cut myself. I can't do anything without assistance. It's...vexing."

An idea popped into Prompto's head, and he felt himself practically start to vibrate with excitement over it. "You could dance!"

"Dance?" Ignis said the word as a shout of laughter. "I can't even walk without a cane."

"With me! I. Uh." Prompto bit his lip, even as he trembled and tapped his toes with energy. "I've been wanting to ask you for a while to teach me to waltz. For Luna's party."

"The Gala, you mean."

"Yeah! It takes two, right? I'd be holding onto you, and you could help direct me, and it'd be fun!"

"I'm not sure..."

"I'll clear out the living room, so there's nothing for you to trip on but my feet! Please?!"

Ignis sighed in that fondly exasperated way he did for Noctis, and Prompto's heart leaped in his chest. Score! Ignis only ever made that sound when he was about to give in. "All right. Far be it from me to deny you anything you want."

Ignis ended up sitting on a kitchen chair "watching" as Prompto cleared out the living room. It sounded like a gigantic task, but the reality was that he just needed to push the chairs and coffee table up against the walls and roll up the rug and throw it in a different room. With Ignis' blindness even Noctis had been taking care to be neat. Normally, moving furniture at all might have been tiring all on its own, but with his super werewolf muscles it was was practically nothing, and soon enough he was giving Ignis the all-clear. "We'll need music too, right?"

"Indeed. Finding a waltz on Youtube should be no trouble. Any of them will do." Naturally, Ignis was right, and Prompto found entire playlists of waltz music that he could choose. In the end, he chose a playlist that seemed to last for roughly forty-five minutes. The truth was that neither one of them needed to be up and dancing for longer than that. Ignis was hurt, and he wasn't used to it, maybe, if he didn't step on Ignis' feet too much, Ignis would give him another lesson tomorrow.

"This good?" He asked as he set his phone down on the coffee table and the music began to blast as loudly as his little speakers would allow.

"Perfect." Ignis said, with a smile, and Prompto grinned in return. "Now, do you want to learn to lead or follow?"

He had a choice? "Uh, is leading the male part?"

That earned him a chuckle, "Traditionally, yes."

"I...want to learn both?" He admitted softly, "But I want to start with following. Probably easier."

"You would think that would be true, but you might find it to be opposite in the end. Regardless, we can start there." Ignis stepped fully into his space then and held out a hand that Prompto eagerly took. Ignis pulled him in close. So. Very. Close. Their chests were almost touching, Prompto's right hand was clasped firmly in Ignis' left, and Ignis' other arm was wrapped firmly around the small of his back. This much, Prompto thought he knew and he went to set his left hand on Ignis' shoulder, only for Ignis to chuckle at him.

"What?"

"Traditionally," Ignis began, "Your arm would be left at your side while we danced."

"What?!"

"It's true," Ignis, quipped, amused. "It was scandalous enough for us to be this close. Scandalous enough that I have you boxed in, this closed off dancing style that doesn't allow for space between us. Before I was born it was already popular, but considered indecent."

"Dude! We're barely even touching!" Ignis threw his head back and laughed at that, a loud, clear sound that sent a wave of heat through his entire body. Was this it? That laugh that Gladio missed so much? The one no one had heard in years? Whether it was or not, it was a sound Prompto knew _he'd_ never heard. It was a sound he knew was sexy as hell. It was a sound he wanted to kiss off his lips and feel vibrate through his body. _Shit_. "Would you like to know what else was considered utterly indecent?"

"W-what?" Wait. His mind stuttered as a thought began to form. Wait, wait, wait. Was this flirting? Was Ignis _flirting_ with him right now?! Prompto thought it was. Gladio had never flirted like this before they got together, but he hadn't needed to, neither of them had, but back in high school...yeah. He totally would have flirted with a girl like this. He would have tried to entice them with interesting things, try to draw them in closer. He would have--

His thoughts were cut off by Ignis' answer. "Ankles."

"What?! No!"

"It's true," Ignis chortled. "Fashion often, though not always, emphasized the bust, but heavens forbid we ever see an ankle. Heavens forbid we know that woman even had ankles and didn't just float on their skirts from the waist down."

"There were woman's shoes back then!"

"If we saw a shoe we were to assume it was held on by puppet strings."

"Now you're just teasing me! I know you are!" He shoved lightly at Ignis' shoulder, and he laughed again, not as vibrantly this time, but still lovely and kissable all the same.

"Perhaps I'm joking about the puppet strings, but indecent ankles were certainly real. Now, shall we begin?"

"I dunno, you gonna make my arm rest at my side so I'm a somewhat decent lady?"

Ignis snorted. "No. Keep it where it is. No one at the gala will expect a fully traditional waltz." Once Prompto had settled into the proper (not so proper) position, Ignis had him listen to the music. "Most waltz music these days is in 3/4 time." He counted time for a little bit, until Prompto too could hear it, and then he explained the steps, which seemed more complicated. "It'll be easier in practice, I suspect. Most things are."

And then they danced. It wasn't graceful for either of them. Ignis was still too new to being blind to have full confidence in his steps, and Prompto wasn't confident in his steps even with fully functioning eyes. They didn't fall though, and Prompto was proud to say that he only stepped on Ignis' feet three times before the steps seemed to become easier, and, soon enough, he was following Ignis round and round the living room, in time to the music.

He heard their car pulling back into the driveway when he finally plucked up the courage to ask. "How am I doing?"

"Quite well," Ignis said, sounding pleased. "But I knew you would, Prompto. You're a fast learner. You always have been." Prompto's entire body flushed at the praise, and then the music stopped, the playlist coming to an end, and Ignis stopped dancing. "It sounds like Gladio has returned. You'll want to go greet him, yes?"

"Yeah," Prompto said, gripping their hands together more tightly as he made a last second, and perhaps foolish decision. "But there's something else I want to do first."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

In response, Prompto pushed himself up on his toes and kissed him. His first thought about it was that Ignis needed chapstick, and his immediate second was that he couldn't feel the scar on Ignis' lip. The third, and more important thought was the observation that for a second, just a second, Ignis melted into it. Just that second where Prompto felt Ignis lean down into him and kiss him back. He caught himself too quickly though, and then Prompto was biting back a sound of distress at the loss of Ignis' warmth and weight.

"Prompto! What are you doing?!"

"I think that's what the kids these dayscall a kiss?" The front door opened, and Prompto thought Ignis would try to run right then. He couldn't, Prompto realized a second later, guiltily. He'd chosen a moment where Ignis had no idea where anything was. He couldn't flee, not when there was a very serious chance that he would fall and greatly harm himself, not to mention give the situation away anyway. "I love you, Iggy." He reached out, letting the backs of his fingers slide against Ignis' cheek affectionately. Immediately, Ignis' own hand caught his wrist.

"You have a boyfriend! One who loves you very much! And is in the house right now!" Prompto couldn't help but laugh at the dual scolding in Ignis' words. Scolding one: Don't cheat. Scolding two: Don't cheat where you could get caught.

"Hey, babe!" 

Gladio's footsteps had already been heading in their direction, but at his call they sped up, and just a second later, Gladio was sticking his head in the doorway. Prompto thought the way his nose scrunched up at the sight of them standing in the middle of room with everything else shoved up against the walls was adorable. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just, I kissed Ignis and told him I loved him." Prompto was pretty sure he could see Ignis' soul leaving his body.

"When?"

"Just now."

"Without me?"

"What do you mean without you?!" That was Ignis, and Prompto laughed again, even though he knew it was cruel, because inside of himself, Ignis was very much not laughing. Ignis was probably confused, and scared.

"There was a moment!" He said, replying to his boyfriend while he also reached out and took Ignis' hand again, letting his aura run between them in hopes that it would relax him. It did. A little. "I couldn't let it pass. You're welcome to add your own thoughts now."

It only took three steps for Gladio to join them in the middle of the room, his large hands taking Ignis' other hand before he said, "I never stopped loving you, Iggy, and, let's be serious, I'm _jealous_ that Prom's kissed you, and I haven't."

Prompto hadn't listened to music via a CD in years, but that's what he was reminded of now, looking at Ignis' face. Ignis was a scratched CD that kept tripping over the same two words over, and over, and over again. "I think we broke him," he whispered.

"Think you might be right."

"It's okay if you don't want--"

"I'm a mated man!" Ignis said at last, all the words coming out in a loud confused jumble. "I will not cheat on Noctis!"

Oh. Right. Ignis didn't know. He wouldn't know. Of course he wouldn't. "Noct already knows. He's okay with this," Gladio said softly, taking the smallest step closer to Ignis.

Prompto didn't think this was the right way to handle it. It was good that it was out in the open now. That was a good first step. They could move forward from there, but the next step wasn't them trying to convince Ignis it was okay, no, it was Ignis himself trying to wrap his head around it. It was bringing Ignis' panic down to a manageable level. "Do you wanna go talk to Noct?" Prompto asked, sliding his arms around Ignis' own arm, pressing his influence against him more insistently. "We'll take you to him, won't we, Gladio?"

"Sure will."

"I...yes. Please. I want to talk to Noctis."

"Okay," Gladio said, taking the keys out of his pocket and jingling them so Ignis could hear. "I've got the car keys. Let's go."


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY SUNDAY ONCE AGAIN.
> 
> I do think that changing to every two weeks was the thing I needed to do, now that I've done it. I'm not as stressed about writing, and I do have some time for other things again. (I finally finished my first playthrough of _Detroit Become Human_.) Thank you for understanding and being patient.
> 
> I don't have a lot to say about this chapter...except maybe that I hope you like cats. And honest, but awkward talks.
> 
> Enjoy! <3

On a good day, at a good time, driving down to the nearest animal shelter took ten minutes. It was not a good time, on a good day, and so it was going to take nearly twice that.

The nearly twenty minutes it took to ride down to the animal shelter were probably some of the longest twenty minutes of Prompto's entire life. No one spoke much, the music didn't play on the radio, and the only real sounds to listen to were the city sounds outside the car. It was almost rush hour for the inner city, and even the suburbs they lived in were a bit...congested. Prompto knew he was a mixture of anxious and bored just waiting to get there. He couldn't imagine how Ignis, who couldn't even watch the cars and people going by, must feel.

The first and only time any of them spoke more than a word or two before they arrived was Ignis asking how Gladio's interview had gone. His voice was curt and strained, and Prompto sunk down in his seat not just feeling bad because he knew he was cause of that curt politeness, but because he himself had forgotten to ask. He was the proper boyfriend, it should have been his job to ask that.

"I think it went really well," Gladio responded, his tone too light to be how he was truly feeling inside. "They seemed to like me and what I had to say, but, you know, I gotta wait for the call."

"Did they say when they'd call?"

"By Friday at the latest."

"I hope you get it."

"Me too," Prompto chimed in. "I really do."

The car fell into awkward silence again, even as they pulled into a parking spot, and Gladio killed the ignition. For several long, even more strained moments of silence, no one moved, and then they were all unclicking their seat belts, and Prompto was scrambling to open Ignis' door and offer him his hand to help guide him. It was a relief when Ignis didn't reject the help, even if he only accepted it because there was no way he'd easily make it to the door otherwise. Still. It was comforting that he didn't sit there and demand they simply get Noctis for him, and Prompto relished in the feel of Ignis weight in his hand and his trust as they walked up the ramp to the door.

Inside, the smell of "animal" was like walking into a brick wall. Before you could sort of smell it leaking through the spaces around the door, but once that door was open...all bets were off. It wasn't a smell that Prompto would call pleasant. It was such a mixture of things, dog, cat...other...pet animals, urine, feces, various kinds of food, liters, toys, all coated in a bleachy smell that told Prompto they did clean, they did their best to keep the smell down, but it was...too much to hide from their stronger noses. He knew he wasn't the only one who felt that way, because, beside him, he felt Ignis tense, and just behind him, he heard Gladio cough.

Prompto was seriously reevaluating Noct's dedication to cats.

Speaking of Noct, Gladio had barely closed the door behind them before their alpha's form moved behind the counter, and he appeared with the biggest and fakest customer service smile Prompto had ever seen. "Hey! How ca--Hey!" Noct came out from behind the counter and was up in Ignis' space, tugging lightly at his sleeves. "I felt your distress, but, you...know...no phones at work. Are you all okay?!" Blue eyes, wide with worry scanned each of them over before he seemed to be satisfied that they were all physically fine, or, in Ignis' case, no worse off than was currently normal. "What's going on?"

"Noct--" Ignis began, before Prompto decided to just jump right on in.

"I kissed Ignis."

"And that was distressing?" Noctis tugged a little more insistently at Ignis' sleeves. "Did you not like it?"

"It's quite distressing, when you're mated, and the other is in a serious relationship that's ripe to become a mated pair at any time."

"Did...did you guys not talk about it first?" Those blue eyes flickered back and forth between them all again, his expression growing more worried by the second.

"Says the guy who literally lead into a relationship by asking them to be his mate. No preamble." Gladio's voice was teasing, but Prompto definitely felt vindicated at that. See! That was totally way, way worse than what he'd done.

"You guys are better at this sort of thing than I am!"

"In what universe?"

"Can we _please_ ," Ignis' voice cut into their bickering. "Get back on topic?" Right. Right. Poor Ignis was over there freaking out.

Noctis cutely rocked back and forth on his heels for a moment before he leaned himself up and kissed Ignis himself, sweetly, chastely, and when he pulled back he had the biggest, dopiest grin on his face that in turn made Prompto smile. "I...told them they could pursue you, Specs. Encouraged it, really."

" _Why_?"

"Because they love you? And you love them? You and I, we can't hide feelings anymore, not from each other. Not yet anyway." Noctis made a face at what Prompto could only assume was the very idea that Ignis would probably learn how to hide himself again. "I'm not...enough for you. Physically. I'm never gonna be, and...I love them too. And..." Noctis made a frustrated sound. "I refuse to lock you in a box, Specs. You're not on a leash and you only belong to me. You're my _mate_ , but they're your _pack_ , you belong to them too, and they're so easy to love. I get it. You know I do."

"I...know." Ignis whispered. "But--"

"No buts! We were never gonna be a traditional couple. It was never gonna happen. You're too old. I'm too. Me." Ignis didn't say anything, and after a moment, Noct moved on. "I have your love."

"You do."

"And I want you to have your happiness. I want them to have theirs too."

"And what about _your_ happiness, Noct?"

"Do you know what would make me really happy?"

"What?"

"Coming home one day and finding that you're covered in their scents, and feeling your contentment bubbling inside my chest." A warm, fuzzy feeling filled Prompto just at the words. It wasn't a turn on, not in the sexual sense, but an alpha feeling, Prompto thought. If Noctis came home to know that all of his pack were happy, sated, and safe, then he'd done his job perfectly. It was the same sort of feeling Prompto got when he saw pictures of Christmastime, and people curled up in front of a fireplace. Idealistic.

Ignis breathed, and Noctis squeezed his hands more tightly, "I don't _want_ to leave you out of anything," Ignis admitted softly.

"You won't," Gladio added at last. "We told Noct the other day; you're a package deal now. We wouldn't want it any other way."

"Yeah," Prompto chimed in. "All four of us. Not three. Four."

"Truly?"

"Yeah. That's what we want."

"What do you want, Specs?"

Ignis bowed his head, a struggle between what Prompto imagined was Ignis' heart, and his proper upbringing waging in his head. Three times his lips parted before he managed to get out. "I want that, but is it truly possible?"

"I don't see why not," Prompto shrugged. "We gotta talk a lot, yeah. It'll be weird for a while, yeah, but it can't be weirder than being in a pack for the first time." Perhaps Ignis didn't remember that feeling, but Prompto did. He remembered how confusing and criss crossing all the thoughts and emotions inside him had been. It had taken a little time for it all to sort itself out, but it had after a good night's sleep. It would be the same here. It would need time, but they'd get there. "We'll take it slow."

"No more suddenly kissing the blind man who is ignorant of previous conversations while your boyfriend walks through the front door," Ignis' words were sharp, but Prompto felt like he was being teased, more than he was being scolded.

"I regret nothing." He didn't. Yeah, he'd been rash, but now they were here. Talking. It was a start. A start of what Prompto hoped were many good more continuations. A start of forever. A thrill went through him at the word. Of course nothing actually lasted forever. They weren't truly immortal, but the rest of their unnaturally long lives...yeah. That sounded excellent.

"How long until you're finished, Noct?"

"About an hour?" Noctis withdrew his hands from Ignis' and turned to check the time on the clock over the desk. "Yeah. Technically we close in half an hour, but I gotta finish feeding the cats."

Cats. Cats. Prompto smiled, suddenly overcome with an idea. It was a wonderful idea. It was an awful idea. It was a wonderfully awful idea. "Hey, Noct?"

"Hey what?"

"You wanna show us your favorite cat?"

Of course he did, and less than two minutes later, Noctis was showing them around the cat room, his eyes as delighted as a kid in a candy shop. They all had names that Noct was more than happy to share, and he kept on calling them "his babies." And people said Prompto was bad about dogs. Man, he had nothing on Noctis and cats.

"Aren't they all just adorable?"

"Yeah, of course they are, Noct, but I asked for your fave cat."

"I'm getting there!" Noctis stuck his tongue out at him before he stopped in front of one of the cages three slots from the end. He opened it as far as the grate would go and then, in his softest voice said, "Come here, Baby." Almost immediately, Noctis had an armful of cat. The cat was a cute seal point, and, truly, that was as much terminology as Prompto really knew about cats. Said cat was purring louder than the car motor, rubbing its face against Noct's cheek happily. Oh. Yeah. This was fucking adorable.

"Is it's name really Baby?" Gladio chuckled.

Pink tinged Noct's cheeks as he rubbed the cat back, "Babydoll, actually."

"Don't tell me _you_ named it that."

"No!" Noctis objected loudly. "I tried to change the name, but it only responds to Babydoll, Baby, or Dollie."

"Don't worry, Noct. I think it's adorable, even if Gladio doesn't."

"Thanks, Prom," their alpha sulked for a second, before he brightened up excitedly and added, "Do you want to hold her?!"

"Fuck yeah!" He laughed as he held out his arms to receive the cat, and his heart raced when she was handed over. Oh. Yeah. This was nice. She was warm, and the rumble of her purring was really satisfying. Not only that, but as she settled on his shoulder, she did this little butt wiggle, and...okay. Maybe Noct was converting him. Not that anything was as cute as Pryna and Umbra, but damn if this cute little girl in his arms wasn't a close call.

Gladio passed on holding the cat, which wasn't that surprising. Gladio was definitely more of a dog person. Big dogs at that, Prompto was pretty sure he might secretly be afraid of crushing smaller animals in his large hands. When Ignis was offered the cat, he had a similar reaction. "I might drop her, Prompto."

"That's fine, Specs. If you drop her, she'll just land on her feet. She's a _cat_."

At Noct's urging, Ignis gingerly accepted the cat, and the cat stuck to him like her paws were actually suction cups, settling against his shoulder like she had on Prompto's, and...fuck. She nuzzled his ear, and that was it. "Sold," he said blandly.

"Sold?"

"Sold!" Prompto repeated, more enthusiastically. "Babydoll is ours now. And we are going to spoil the hell out of her!"

"Yeah?!" If Prompto hadn't already been super excited, Noct's own excitement flooding his system would have driven him right over the edge. "Is that okay?!"

"Uh, dude, this is the cutest cat ever. Like seriously. I know you can't see her, Iggy, but it's the truth."

"She feels very soft, and very happy," Ignis added in a hushed tone, one hand gently gliding over the fur of Babydoll's back. "I wouldn't mind keeping her, if Gladio is all right with it."

They all turned to Gladio, who gave his shoulders a quick shrug and his lips quirked up in a grin. "I don't see why not."

"Score!" Prompto and Noctis high fived, but it was Ignis who frowned, and pressed on.

"I know you're not the biggest cat person..."

"Neither are you, but I don't really mind 'em. Besides, Iggy, you can't take care of us right now, not like you wanna."

"No," Ignis conceded, dejectedly.

"A dog would probably be too much, but I bet you could manage to take care of a cat."

"You know, I think I could." Ignis _smiled_ , and that was definitely that. They were getting the cat.

Three hours later all four of them were back at the den, with Babydoll the Cat on Noctis' lap, and Ignis falling asleep on the couch next to him. It wasn't really that late, in fact, it wasn't late at all by Prompto's standards, but when Gladio said it was time for bed, none of them argued. "My bed," Noctis said softly, tucking the cat over his shoulder as he began to get up.

"Your bed?"

"Yeah, all of us. It's...been a long time, too long, since we've all slept in the same bed, and, tonight seems like a good time to start doing it again. So yeah, my bed." None of them objected to it, and soon they were all piling up in Noctis' bed for what really did feel like the first time in forever. Prompto ended up happily crawling between Ignis and Gladio, and despite the early hour he was out like a light within minutes. Later, when he briefly woke between dreams, his feet brushed against the cat curled up at the edge of the bed, and Prompto smiled as he drifted back off.

He felt complete.


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday again!
> 
> I don't really have anything to say this chapter except I hope you all enjoy it. <3

"How's this, Iggy?"

It had only been three days since they'd gotten the cat, and since they'd decided to talk, and try to be...more than a couple with each other, but already Prompto felt like they were starting to fall into a routine again. The gala was only a couple days away now, and Prompto had thought that this would be crunch time. He'd taken several days off to prepare, as had Noctis and Gladio, but it was Friday, and the day so far was just lazy.

Well, perhaps lazy was too lax a word for it, but it didn't feel especially _special_ , not with Ignis sitting at the island desperately trying to enchant the pieces of a gun Prompto had bought, not with Prompto trying to dice onions for dinner, not with Noctis playing idly with the cat, and Gladio drying off from his shower.

"Iggy?"

"Ah," Ignis looked up from the pieces, that were scattered over the counter and his lap, the eyes that could not see wide behind his dark glasses. "My apologies. What is it?"

"Dice check."

Prompto watched Ignis delicately wipe his fingers on the cloth he had set to one side and dipped his fingers into the bowl. He didn't go through every single piece, but it kind of felt like he did, to watch him do it. "Not perfect," Ignis gently criticized, causing Prompto to give him a pout that he knew he couldn't see. "But certainly adequate for our purposes. Is this the last thing?"

"Uh. Yeah. Think so." Broccoli, cheese sauce thing, ham, onions, potatoes... "Yep."

"Then go ahead and put it all in the slow cookers and put them on low. By dinner everything will be ready."

"Cool. Thanks, Iggy."

"On the contrary, Prompto, thank _you_ for doing this." Prompto didn't really feel like he'd done all that much, but he beamed at his words and set about finishing up. When the slow cookers were filled and set on the "low" setting he returned to find that both Noctis and Gladio were hovering over what Ignis was working on. "I don't think it's working."

"I can tell that much, Noct."

"Don't get mad!" Noctis hunched up his shoulders and frowned before he dared to carry on. "Just...I don't know, maybe you need to start smaller."

"I thought this _was_ supposed to be smaller." It had. Prompto remembered the conversation. They'd decided that Ignis did need to practice magic, but without his sight practicing the things that Noctis did was too dangerous, and trying anything like healing even small cuts or bruises was dangerous. It had been Prompto to bring up the idea of enchantment again, but Noctis thought even that on a larger scale was too much. The books were more theory than reality, but that was where they'd turned in the end.

Prompto had spent two hours the day before figuring out how to assemble and disassemble the gun in a span of a minute or less. He'd never even held a gun before, but the weight of it in his hand had been somehow safe in a way that even holding one of Ignis' smaller knives wasn't.

His three packmates (boyfriends? lovers?) were all trained fighters, he knew. Gladio had a huge sword in his room that he never touched, and he had muscles on muscles for days. Ignis had knives (just one knife now? He said one of them had been the silver to cause the damage to his face, so it was gone.) and both Noct and Gladio said he was strong, fast, and skilled in a fair, or not fair usually, fight. Prompto didn't know if Noctis himself was trained on a weapon or not, but he'd seen that magic, and that was enough. Prompto didn't know anything. He could run, and he was proud to say that he could stand up for himself against anyone now, but that wasn't fighting or defending himself. He'd picked the gun because it seemed like it would have the fewest pieces to enchant, but he was also hoping that when it was finished he could ask to learn to properly shoot it, maybe pick up some other self defense.

He knew his pack would protect him if they needed to. They would. It was probably stupid, but he also wanted to learn to protect himself.

"Even smaller then," Noct was sighing in front of him. "Like, I know you know the theory, I remember the lessons too, but magic is really personal, and...just...smaller maybe. Until you get the hang of it, then go bigger."

"How much smaller can I possibly go?" His voice was calm, but Prompto could tell, even without trying to feel it through the pack bonds, that Ignis was getting very frustrated. Ignis was a perfectionist, and Prompto was too, so he understood that being a perfectionist wasn't about doing it a thousand times until it was right. Being a perfectionist meant that it had to be perfect _the first time_. This was easily Ignis' tenth time trying to enchant even one of the gun pieces.

"Maybe we can try to enchant a coffee mug to keep coffee warm?"

"Or enchant the bullets?" That was Gladio.

"The bullets?"

"Yeah," Gladio flipped between pages in the open textbook on the counter. "The book goes into enchanting the gun to shoot magic bullets, but what if you just bypassed that and enchanted the bullets directly?" All of them stared at Gladio. "What? Bad idea?"

"Uh, no." Noctis said shaking his head quickly. "More like stupid good idea. Prom?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you unload the...bullet thing?"

"The magazine," Ignis supplied softly.

"Yeah. That."

"On it!" Prompto said, already scrambling to grab the piece in question. Everything he read said that doing this part was a bit difficult and dangerous, but to Prompto the disassembling it was as easy as spreading butter on a piece of toast, and soon he'd undone both the magazine and the clip, and he presented the bullets. "Ready for enchantment, sir!"

"How should I attempt this?"

"I dunno," Noctis grumbled. "Like, maybe try to imprint a different idea on each one? So each bullet does something different?"

"Like Green Arrow!"

"Or Hawkeye."

"Except with bullets!"

"Nerds." Prompto responded by sticking his tongue out at Gladio. "I'll bite that."

"Ooh. Kinky."

" _Boys_ ," Ignis interjected with a sigh, and all three of them fell silent. "I'll try it, we'll see what happens." Noctis lingered, to keep an eye on what Ignis was doing, but Prompto went off to take his shower, and Gladio went to get into proper clothes.

He and Gladio were going out after Prompto's shower, not on a date, or at least not officially, but Gladio said they needed to pick up a couple things, things that Noctis and Ignis didn't need to be around for, which Prompto assumed to mean gifts. The wolf and human part of him both very much liked the idea of presenting their new boyfriends with gifts to show their affections, and so he didn't linger in the shower, washing and drying quickly, and making his way out of the bathroom within twenty minutes, a veritable miracle, considering how much he loved his showers.

He'd barely gotten his shirt pulled over his head when someone knocked on the door. "It's me," Noct's voice drifted through. "Do you mind?"

"I'm decent," he promised, flopping back onto the edge of the bed he never slept in to pull on his socks. He wasn't like Ignis about nudity anymore, but it was nice, that Noctis was still trying to respect him about it. "What's up?" He asked when Noct slipped into the room, looking his adorable shy-awkward combination.

"Specs is done with magic for the day, I think."

"Yeah?" Prompto bounced up and closed the space between them. He decided to push his boundaries just a little by pressing his lips to Noct's cheek, and his heart soared in his chest when he felt Noctis smile at the gesture. "How'd he do with the bullets?"

"He did okay?" Noct shrugged his shoulders as Prompto pulled back. "He managed to do something to two of them."

"Something?"

"Yeah, I dunno what. Not sure he knows either. It took everything out of him though. Fell asleep right there."

"Aww, I wanna see."

"I'm gonna get Gladio to take him back to bed, but, I need you to put the gun back together? Maybe?"

"Does it make you nervous?" Prompto teased, but was surprised when Noctis actually nodded in response. "Uh. _Really_?" They were werewolves, they recovered easily from anything less than a headshot or a literal silver bullet, but it made him nervous?

"Yeah? Like we don't use guns? Show me a sword, a bow, a mace? Nice. Normal. A gun?" Noctis shifted, as though he felt uncomfortable in his own skin. "Weird. Dangerous? Maybe."

"I can get rid of it--"

"No!" Noctis said quickly. "I want you to have it. I feel...it's better that you have something to defend yourself with. Just...I don't know. Keep it. It's new. It's strange. I just gotta get used to it. You know?"

Prompto both felt like he did and didn't get it, but he nodded, and went on back out to the kitchen where he found that Ignis had indeed fallen asleep at the table, his arms stretched out in front of him and his glasses knocked askew. Despite the scarring that still burned red on his face, the position made him look peaceful and almost childlike. It made Prompto smile.

Reassembling the gun took no time at all, but he was still working on getting the clip back into the magazine when Gladio came in to collect Ignis. "I heard Ignis managed to charm a couple bullets."

"Yeah," Prompto mumbled, tongue between his teeth. "Just two. They kind of sparked when I touched them." Or, rather, it had felt like putting your tongue to a nine-volt. It was clearly charged with something, but it wasn't dangerous, not yet. "I put those two at the top of the clip."

"Cool." The magazine finally came together properly, and Prompto looked up at Gladio with his arms full of Ignis, who hadn't stirred at all, and slumped against his chest. "It really did take everything out of him, huh?"

"I can't say I'm surprised. I mean, I imagine that if I even tried to use magic I'd use up all my juice. I'm sure it's like running."

"The more you do it, the more you can?"

"Yeah. I mean, makes sense, right?"

"It does, I doubt Noct started out at the level he's at now."

Prompto nodded, more at himself than to really give Gladio a response, "I gotta go put this away, and you gotta get Iggy in bed. Meet you by the door?"

"Sure."

The gun was easily secured in his own room, in a box he didn't often go into. He'd used to put filled memory cards inside, and was probably no place to really keep a gun, but for now, it would do. Noct's door was slightly ajar when he got back into the hallway, and so he stuck his head in the door. "We're heading out now!"

"Cool. Have a good time."

"We will, but, hey," he beckoned to Noct with a finger. "Come here a sec."

Poor Babydoll was left looking utterly bereft as Noctis abandoned her to fufill Prompto's request. "What's up?"

"Nothing, really," Prompto said with a grin, "Just wanted to do this," he took the step it took to close the distance between them and kissed Noctis. He hadn't yet, kissed Noctis, that was. He'd kissed Ignis the once, and he'd kissed Gladio too many times to count, but Noctis had been woefully unkissed, and so he had to correct it. Right that instant, because of course he did, because why not? He kept it soft and chaste, but he liked the way he could feel Noctis smile into the contact, and just the little bit that he leaned forward, into it.

When they broke apart, Noctis nuzzled their noses together, and Prompto laughed, a feeling of shared happiness swelling in his chest. "You could do that more often," Noctis whispered, their faces still so close that he could feel his breath and smell the mint of his toothpaste.

"You like that?"

"Yeah," Noctis admitted, his voice just a little shy. "I do."

"Good, because I like it too."

"Go on." Noct playfully shoved at Prompto's chest, effectively separating them. "Have a good time with Gladio doing...whatever it is you're doing."

"We will. You have a good time cuddling Baby."

"I will!"

Prompto laughed at the "challenge accepted" tone of Noct's voice before he left the room, and grinned up at Gladio when he found him waiting patiently by the door. "Iggy all set?"

"Sleeping like a log."

"You ready to go?"

"Yep. You?"

Prompto pushed himself up to his tippy toes to kiss Gladio's cheek, and then nodded. "I am now. Let's go."

Prompto had been pretty sure that this wasn't a date, at least not in the traditional sense, and the drive to their destination only proved him right. Not that he minded. It wasn't grocery shopping, and even if it were, Prompto was was more than happy for any excuse to spend time out with Gladio, but the shop they ended up in confused him all the same. The shop's setup sort of reminded him of the camera shop from all the way back when he'd first been brought to their pack, with the walls all sort of beige and blah, and the merchandise set up in a utilitarian way. The displays weren't filled with cameras though, some of them had swords, some of them have knives, and some of them had, "Canes? For Iggy?" Really, it was the only thing that made sense, and it was a relief when Gladio nodded his head, confirming his theory.

"He's gonna need one, at least for a little while. I didn't want to just get him something plain, so I ordered something special. I'm just kinda hoping it helps him feel less helpless."

"How sweet and thoughtful of you."

Gladio shrugged the compliment off, "I mean, Noct would have done the same, eventually. Just thought of it sooner." He paused, "If you see something you like for you though, we can add it to the bill."

"Nothing says romance like a knife," Prompto teased, lacing his fingers behind his back, exactly so that he wouldn't start fidgeting and picking up things just to occupy his hands.

"Nothing says romance like saying "I trust you not to stab me while I sleep, and I have total faith that you will carve the hearts out of our enemies.""

"Hmm...still wouldn't say that's romantic. Cool. Badass. Not romantic."

The clerk(? Owner?) returned from the back with a long box that he opened for Gladio's inspection. What Gladio pulled out was...a cane. It was a nice cane, Prompto thought, with black painted wood and a polished, silver-looking knob that seemed a little too elaborate for something that was meant to be functional. Or perhaps that was just because Prompto wasn't used to fancy rich people functional canes.

"What do you think, Prom?"

"It's...nice?" He shrugged. He was no cane expert, but yeah, it was nice. Ignis would probably like it. The top would be interesting to his fingers, and it was pleasing to the eyes of those that could see it, but it was just a cane. What other opinion could he have?

"It's gonna get nicer," Gladio promised, because he twisted the knob right off the cane. For a second Prompto panicked, his mind instantly assuming that he had just broken the cane right in front of the shop owner, but then his brain caught up with what his eyes were actually seeing, and he gasped for an entirely different reason.

The cane was totally not _just_ a cane. The knob came off to reveal a blade attached to the underside that fit perfectly inside the cane's base. It looked functional, and sharp, and "Oh-em-gee, that is so _cool_."

"Gonna get even cooler." Okay, Gladio sounded a bit smug now, but Prompto couldn't even blame him when he turned the blade around and screwed the top of the knob into the base, making it look like a lance that Prompto could easily envision coming from any of his and Noct's video games. "What do you think? You think he'll like it?"

"I think," Prompto began, taking in a deep breath before letting all his words out in a rush. "I seriously think that is the coolest freaking thing I've ever seen, and he is going to love it!" Prompto reached out with his hands and shook his boyfriend by the arm. "It's amazing! Ah-maze-ing! Ah! I can't believe how cool that is!"

"So I did good, huh?"

"Duh!"

Gladio's phone chose that exact moment to ring in his pocket, and when he drew it out, the library's phone number flashed on the screen. "Go," Prompto told him seriously. "I got this."

Gladio drifted off to answer the phone and talk in relative privacy while Prompto went through the process of actually buying the most badass cane to ever exist. He got carded. (You apparently had to be over eighteen to purchase a blade. Who knew?!) After that, he had to wait for the store's slow as hell card machine to decide that Noct's bank account had enough money in it, and by the the time he was signing the receipt, Gladio had drifted back to his side. "Well?" He asked as he handed his signature over and held out his arms so the cane's box could be dumped into his arms. "Did you get it?"

After a moment of silence, he spared a glance up at Gladio's face. He grinned. "You totally got it."

Gladio nodded, also grinning. "I got the job."


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday again!
> 
> I'm getting closer and closer to writing the ending, maybe in two weeks time I'll actually be done, and I'll be back to weekly updates. Of course, I think I said that last time too. Hm.
> 
> It is looking like the last chapter will either be chapter 42 or chapter 43, and I'm writing chapter 41 now, so I do mean it! I'm almost done, but fear not, I'm already in the midst of writing the sequel to this (though perhaps sequel is a bad word for it) as well as collaborating on another FFXV fanfiction.
> 
> The first chapter of said collaboration might even be up next week. Who knows? (But we know I'll be pushing you all to read it, because I am shameless.)
> 
> Anyway, this is a little nonsense chapter between things, but enjoy all the same! After all, nonsense is good sometimes.

Prompto wanted to celebrate. Noctis insisted they celebrate.

Celebrating success with significant others to a human mostly meant drinking and sex, but Prompto was pretty sure that werewolves replaced liquor with obscene amounts of food, and so Prompto was not surprised at all when Noctis told them over the phone that he and Ignis would meet up with them at a high-end Italian restaurant that Prompto had only ever seen in passing before. "What about my soup?!" He'd protested. Sure, the words felt a little petty coming out of his mouth, but he'd worked hard on that! He refused to let it go to waste!

 _"I'll put it away before we head out,"_ Ignis' muffled, calming voice had told him. _"Don't worry, soup is always better the second day anyway."_ Prompto wasn't sure if Ignis was being serious, or just saying that to placate him, but either way, he accepted it with only minimal pouting.

When Gladio hung up the phone, he got a congratulatory kiss that led to Prompto sliding his hands down Gladio's chest and humming into his mouth. "We could continue this thought later, if you want," he said, one finger hooking around Gladio's belt and lightly tugging. "Maybe...maybe with Iggy this time." The last time they'd had sex, Ignis had been missing. It hadn't been as good as sex had once been, and Prompto wasn't sure if that was simply because Ignis had been _out_ at the time, or if their emotions for him had grown too strong. What Prompto did know was that he definitely wanted to make Gladio feel good, and he wanted to learn how to make Ignis feel just as good. The very thought sent a tingle of desire down his spine.

Gladio laughed out a puff of air against his lips that made Prompto's heart pound in his chest, before their lips touched again, too brief and too chaste before Gladio pulled back. "That's up to Iggy. Up to Noct too, I guess, but I'm not gonna say no to just you in my bed either." Gladio's head moved down again, not to kiss him but to lean in close to his ear, so close that his lips dragged against his earlobe in a way that made Prompto bite back a whimper of want, a way that made it very hard to not try and drag Gladio to the back of the store. "I like you in my bed, Prom."

Prompto let out his breath in a shudder, "You know, I'm not always in your bed for sex." He slept there. He had his own bed, in his own room, but he always slept in Gladio's anyway. He had since they'd moved. It technically was Gladio's bed, but the reality was it was more _their_ bed.

"I know, and I really like that too." His boyfriend nipped his ear (the bastard) and then pulled back with a smile far too innocent for what they'd just been talking about. "Come on, we gotta pick up your tux before we hit up the restaurant."

Getting Ignis' cane had been a much more fun experience than picking up his tux. The cane was cool and functional, but getting his tux was something he'd wear once a year at best, and though Gladio told him it was probably all in his head, he felt like the tailor had been judging him and his freckles, his styled hair, the combination of no sleeves on his shirt and cargo pants. Prompto already felt like he was going to look a fool in a tux, but the tailor had made him even more nervous about it. He knew that he was just going to have to suck it up. This was for Luna and her party. No way was he going to let her down. Even if he looked like a clown he'd wear it. Even so, he was glad when the restaurant (Gino's. Very cliche Italian.) came into view, and he pushed the tux from his mind.

Inside, Noctis and Ignis were already waiting. They were sitting in a corner booth in the very back of the restaurant, talking. There wasn't a lot of noise in the restaurant this time of day, but even so their conversation was so hushed that Prompto couldn't hear it, and by the time he was close enough, they'd stopped. A private conversation then. That made something nervous twist in his stomach, only for it to loosen when Noct smiled brightly.

"Hey!" He said brightly, getting up out of the booth and tugging at Gladio's shirt sleeve. "Congrats! You're gonna be an amazing professional book geek, yeah?"

"I think so," Gladio laughed back at him. "Gotta quit the night job too though."

"You're not gonna do the whole...two weeks thing, are you? Two weeks on pretty much no sleep would seriously suck ass."

"Nah, I already got the job, so, I'll just go ahead and resign immediately. It's not like I'm the only bouncer on rotation. Someone else can have my hours."

"Good. No more black eyes."

"I dunno about that, Noct," Gladio teased with his cockiest grin, his hands briefly sliding into his pockets. "You've never seen two avid readers fight over the same book. I might have to break up even more fights at the library. Might come home with broken bones."

"Shut up! You're terrible!" Noctis was actually whining now, distraught at the very thought of one of his wolves getting injured at his job again, probably even more distraught at the thought of him getting hurt at a quiet and harmless job. "Don't joke like that!"

"Sorry," Gladio said, not really sounding sorry at all, but leaning down and pressing his lips to Noct's in a simple apology. A second later he jerked back, and Prompto realized that Gladio hadn't actually planned the motion, he hadn't asked, and...was that their first kiss? Probably. "Sorry," he said again, quicker this time, and much more sincere.

"No!" Noctis replied just as quickly, his face pink in the cheeks and adorable. "No, that was...nice. You can do again...maybe later." Noctis pulled back now, his hands pressed together tightly in a motion that seemed more "Ignis" than "Noctis." Yeah, Prompto thought, adorable, and not at all unlike their own kiss earlier had been. Noct liked being kissed, and that was something Prompto thought they could definitely work with.

Beyond them, Ignis shattered the air by saying, "Shall we all settle down and get started now?"

Get started. Getting started meant food, and Prompto had to admit that his stomach was definitely ready to have food in it again. In fact, Prompto's mouth watered even at the suggestion of food, and the smell of stuff cooking in the back wasn't helping. "Sounds good to me."

"Sure," Gladio agreed easily, but then added, "But first I...I want to say something."

"Yeah?"

"I don't this to be a celebration of my getting a job?"

"No?" Noct's nose was crinkled up cutely in confusion, but Prompto didn't feel confused. He was pretty sure he knew what Gladio was going to say next.

Sure enough. "I want this be a date. Our first date. _Together_." The words were coming out jumbled and awkward, but the feeling and meaning were there, coupled with the fact that he made eye contact with each of them as he said it. He didn't hold it very long either Noctis or Ignis. Prompto knew full well that maintaining eye contact with a more dominant wolf for very long was a very bad idea, even when it wasn't a challenge. Ignis was probably safe for now, being blind and all, but it probably wasn't a good idea to get into the habit of it anyway. That meant that when Gladio's gaze turned to Prompto, it lingered there the longest, and it tugged a grin right out of his heart and on to his lips. "Is that okay?"

"I don't see why it can't be both," Ignis said from his corner. "We can have a date and celebrate your success at the same time, can we not?"

This time, it was Gladio's turn to grin with joy. "I guess we can."

"Operation: Celebration-Date is a go!" Prompto whooped, a little too loudly for a restaurant setting, and pulled Gladio to sit in the chair next to him.

It was nice, sitting down with all of them at the table of a restaurant after so long of not being all together at once. It was nice, flipping through the menu, jostling knees playfully with Noctis. It was nice, blowing his straw wrapper right at Gladio's head, and squealing when he did it back. It was nice, looking through the menu and realizing that he was looking for what to suggest to Ignis, before he was actually looking for himself.

"Hey, Iggy, they have both paella and risotto here."

"Interesting," Ignis drawled, "Considering paella is _not_ an Italian dish."

"Don't look the gift horse in the mouth, Iggy," Gladio chortled, and Ignis sighed at him, but he was smiling, and it totally ruined the effect.

"I suppose I'm obligated to find out if they do the dish justice anyway."

"That's the spirit, Specs."

The food they ordered, including what Ignis called a "fair-to-middling" paella, was consumed in relative, warm, and comfy silence, though still with the playful shoving and pushing of feet and knees under the table with Noctis. Prompto was pretty sure at this point it was a war, though he wasn't sure who was winning. Prompto was pretty sure it didn't really matter.

When the food was gone, they began to chatter again, small talk, it seemed, with Gladio and Ignis engaged in their latest session of "book club." It was sort of sad to think that Ignis would have finished this book weeks ago, since he couldn't read right now, and, well, thinking on it, they hadn't exchanged books in a while. Another bit of neglect they'd not realized was going on.

"They have the books I'm reading on audio tape down at the library. I dunno, maybe it's a stupid thought, but--"

"No, that sounds nice. Much better than listening to the dishwasher and the squirrels out in the yard."

"We could go get them after this? Library will still be open."

"That sounds nice."

Noctis kicked Prompto's shin, "Ow!" The reality of it was that the surprise of it hurt more than the actual kick did, but when Prompto looked at Noct, he realized that Noct wasn't even looking at him, he was looking at _them_ , with the dopiest grin on his face. This was something Noctis had seen before, Prompto realized. Back when they'd first been together. Those blue eyes shifted back over to him, and Noct let his hand fall against the table. An invitation. He took it, placing his hand gently in Noctis' own. Noctis squeezed his hand, but it felt like he'd squeezed Prompto's _heart_ instead.

"Do you want to continue this conversation at home, you nerds?"

"We could," Ignis said slowly, carefully. "But if this is a date...Well. I assume you and Prompto would like some time home alone."

"Yeah," Gladio said, before Prompto's brain caught up with the request, and before his cheeks were even able to flush at it. "But not necessarily just us."

"I'm gonna call Luna." Even as he said it, Noct was digging his phone out of his pocket.

"Noctis," Ignis hissed, "I haven't even said yes yet."

"No, but," Noctis screwed up his nose, and Prompto kept his mouth shut. Some instinct inside him said this was a discussion two mates were having now, and he shouldn't interrupt. "Seriously. How long has it been since you've been _with_ someone, Specs?"

It seemed like an eternity before Ignis whispered, "Since before Gladio and I broke up." That was a long time, even for a werewolf, Prompto thought, or perhaps especially for a werewolf. Werewolves were more like rabbits than rabbits. At this point the idea of going for longer than a week seemed too long to Prompto. To be abstinent for over a decade. Internally his very wolf cringed at the very idea.

"So. I can call Luna, we can do something. We haven't even really talked since...last week. She'll be happy for an update."

"Noct. Listen."

"Yeah?"

"I'd like to wait a little longer." There was a puff of disappointment in Prompto's chest at the words, a slight sting of rejection, but it disappeared only instantly, replaced with guilt when Ignis added. "I'd like to be able to see my lover's face. Or faces." Oh. Something else in Prompto's chest tightened up. It was an emotion he couldn't describe, except in smaller bits of emotion, love, guilt, understanding, adoration, all jumbled into a _thing_ inside his chest, inside his lungs.

"We understand," Gladio said, as one of his hand sought out Prompto's own underneath the tabletop.

"I didn't even think about that," Prompto admitted, "But I think I'd feel the same way."

"Thank you," Ignis' smile was small, but Prompto felt like it was genuine, genuinely relieved that they weren't upset, if nothing else. "Shall we leave you to it then?"

"No," Prompto answered, squeezing Gladio's fingers, so much larger than his own, as he spoke. "I think next time, I really want it to be us. Even awkward and new, and...everything. I'd like it to be us."

"It's going to be a while then. At least a month, remember? I don't want to make you wait for me."

"The wait will be worth it, right, Prom?"

Prompto nodded, a slow smile growing on his face. Just a second he'd been thinking about how a week was too long, but, "You're worth it, Iggy. So worth it." Gladio had once told him the same thing. Fast was good, but slow was good too. Gladio had said he'd wait a century for him, what was waiting a month or so for Ignis' own comfort? It was nothing. Nothing at all.

"Should I go get the car then?"

"Yeah," Prompto said softly, leaning, or more falling really, into Gladio's side, his head resting awkwardly, but comfortably on his shoulder. "Library first, but then, let's go home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. *knocks on glass* Am I driving the theme of home hard enough? No? Okay. Let me. Just. Make it. A little clearer.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY SUNDAY. And happy December, I guess. *shrugs*
> 
> Unfortunately, I have not finished writing the main story yet, so weekly updates haven't returned either. OTL Still working on it though! So keep on hoping.
> 
> I said I was working on a collaboration last time, and I have been! I also said I was going to plug it here shamelessly, and I am!
> 
>  
> 
> [Just Give Me a Reason](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16663327/chapters/39072697)
> 
>  
> 
> That's the new story, first chapter, written by BossGoose is up. Second chapter, written by me, will be up tomorrow. I would really appreciate it, if you would check it out and hopefully enjoy it!
> 
> In the meantime, enjoy the chapter! <3

Prompto didn't like this.

He wiggled uncomfortably, even as Gladio told him to hold still. "Why is all of this so tight?" Tight wasn't even the right word, Prompto supposed. It wasn't uncomfortably tight, or at least not the kind of uncomfortably tight that made Prompto worry that buttons or stitches would pop, it was just so close fitting, and restraining. He liked clothing to be looser fitting. He didn't like being able to feel his shirt being pressed against his waist by the very appropriately named waistcoat.

"Be happy it's not a cummerbund," Gladio grumbled.

"A _what_?"

"A waist sash," Noctis said from the other room. "It both looks and feels ridiculous."

"Be happy it's not white tie." That was Ignis, voice still thick with sleep, despite having just gotten out the hot shower. Noctis had practically insisted that Ignis sleep most of the day, and eat even more heavily than he normally would have. Ignis had grouched a bit about it, but it made sense. They were going to a party, ball, gala, whatever it was, and it was going to last late into the night, if not just all night. If Ignis, with his energy draining injury, was going to stay awake and coherent until the end, he needed the extra rest during the day. The upside, he said, was that without his sight, time meant nothing. It could be midnight or noon, and it had no effect on how awake or drowsy he was. "If you think this is bad, white tie would drive you up a wall."

"I dunno, Iggy, this is bad enough, what with these layers and...stays? Is that the word?"

"Stays," Gladio agreed, tugging firmly at the waistcoat and withdrawing his hands. "Don't worry, I'll be just as eager to get out of these by the end of the night too."

"Thank goodness none of you ever lived in Spec's time."

"Why, was that worse?"

"If you were actually fashionable?" Ignis drawled, "As bad, if not worse. Every day."

"Like keeping a lady's hand at her side while waltzing, and no ankles to be seen."

That got Ignis to smile. Prompto didn't need to see it, he could _feel_ it, and he smiled too. "Indeed."

"Am I done now?" He half whined at Gladio. He so wanted to be done with this. Sure, he wouldn't actually be done until the party was over and they were all back at home, but all the little bits and pieces were just torture, at least if he were done dressing he could ignore some of it. Prompto was never gonna say that this was comfortable, but it had to be like a mosquito bite, right? The less you itched it the less it seemed to itch.

"Except for shoes, yeah." Gladio nodded. "You're done."

"Thank goodness. I think I can handle shoes." Of course, also being done first meant that he had to wait for the rest of his pack to get into their tuxedos. Oh man, if Prompto thought he was miserable, he knew it was going to be nothing compared to how miserable Gladio was going to be for the next few hours. Gladio already half assed his shirts when he could, being in full on formal wear for hours on end...yeah, worse off than him. He felt a pang of sympathy in his chest even as Gladio handed over the long box that  Prompto knew held the utterly badass cane inside.

"Why don't you deal with handing out our gift while you wait?"

Our gift? The box might have a ribbon on top, and that might speak more to Prompto's gifting sensibilities, but the cane inside was all Gladio's idea, and all pack money. He didn't argue though, as Gladio shooed him off with one hand, and so Prompto shuffled off to find Noctis, valiantly trying, yet failing to tie Ignis' bow-tie. "I'm guessing this is normally Iggy's job?"

"Yeah," Noctis huffed as he tugged at it, "I've never been that good at this sort of thing."

"Maybe you should wait for Gladio? He did an okay job on mine. I think."

Noct abandoned Ignis' tie to check Prompto's, and he nodded. "Probably better than I can do," he grumbled grouchily, conceding defeat.

"It's all right, Noct," Ignis soothed. "You tried, and I appreciate that."

"Yeah! Besides this gives me time to hand this over, while Gladio's dressing."

"What is it?"

"You'll see!" Ignis allowed him to unwrap it for him, and when he handed it over, he watched Ignis' fingers glide over the carved top, his fingers focusing on the indent at the tippy top that Prompto knew allowed the knob to screw into the cane's base when the blade was reversed. "What do you think?"

"It's lovely, and it will be helpful, even tonight. I assume it was a group effort?"

"Not mine. I knew nothing about it," Noct admitted honestly, eyebrows raised and hands in the air.

"It's mostly Gladio. I just went along with him to pick it up."

"Regardless, thank you. I...I certainly needed this."

"Have you showed him yet?"

"Not yet!" Prompto called back to Gladio just as Ignis' nose scrunched up (cutely) in confusion.

"Showed me what?"

Prompto grinned, "Can I see it for a second?"

"Of course." Ignis handed the cane back over and Prompto unscrewed it from its base. Just before he pulled the blade out, Noctis gasped, seeming to pick up on what was going to happen.

When Noct actually saw the naked blade he elbowed Ignis in the ribs, causing him to jump a little. "Specs! It's a _sword cane_!"

"Impressive," Ignis whispered.

"It gets better."

"How?" Noct asked. "How can it _possibly_ get any better than being a sword cane?"

Prompto showed them. It took him two tries to get the cane to thread correctly, but he then proudly displayed the result. Noctis described the result to Ignis in technical terms Prompto didn't understand, but he also used the word 'cool,' so Prompto knew it was a good thing. Judging by the fond smile on Ignis' face, it was a really good thing. Still, he had to ask, "Do you like it?"

"I adore it," Ignis said honestly. "It's multi-use, and it will give me back a sense of security I've been lacking on multiple levels for the last week or so. Thank you."

Prompto put it back to it's normal cane position, and handed it back over to Ignis shyly. "Like I said, mostly Gladio."

"Still. Thank you. I may not be able to see it, but I know it's as lovely as the thought behind it."

Ignis thanked Gladio earnestly too, when he emerged from the room as dressed up as the rest of them. Gladio stole a quick kiss from Ignis as his prize, and that was when Prompto noticed he had something else in his hand. "This one's for Noct," He said slyly, with a matching grin before he handed it over to Noct's eager hands.

"Ah! Cat socks!"

Prompto sidled over to look over Noct's shoulder, and yep, that was indeed what they were. It looked like there were five pairs, each one with a different sort of cat pattern on them. The pair at the very bottom even said "You've cat to be kitten me right meow." A punny phrase to put even Ignis to shame.

"You like?"

"Duh!"

"Not. Tonight. Noctis."

Noctis stuck his tongue out petulantly. "How are you gonna know if I wear them? You can't see my socks!" Well. Ignis couldn't see _anything_ , but Prompto could see Noct's point. None of them had their shoes on yet, but he didn't think he'd be able to see their socks at all for the pants and shoes around them. Noct could...probably get away with wearing a pair of cat socks with his formal wear.

Ignis sighed, indignant, but also not arguing, which Noctis probably counted as a win. "I'm going to go feed Baby, and then we can head out." As though she knew she was suddenly included in the conversation, Baby appeared at Noct's feet, prompting him to scoop her up in his arms, inevitably getting cat fur all over his tux, and the two of them wandered back down the hall.

"Don't think I forgot about you," Gladio whispered into his ear, and Prompto grinned before he spun back around to face him.

"I wasn't thinking that!" It both was and wasn't true. It was true in that he hadn't been thinking that Gladio was ignoring him by giving their new boyfriends gifts, but it wasn't true in that he hadn't really been thinking that Gladio had something for him. He hadn't been sad about it though. He was happy Noctis and Ignis seemed happy. He was nervous about going to this really formal gala. Not getting a gift from Gladio had been the furthest thing from his mind. "Whatcha get me?"

Gladio smiled that smile where his eyes crinkled up, and Prompto's heart sang in his chest. That. That was his favorite smile. "Close your eyes?"

Prompto obeyed without hesitation, and held out his hands before Gladio could even ask. Something square and very light was placed in his outstretched palms, "You can open them now."

Prompto obeyed again, and looked down. "Is this--?" He tilted his head to one side, trying to think of a word that wouldn't come.

"Yeah, it's a boutonniere." Yeah, that was the word he'd been looking for.

"It's beautiful." Of course it was. Flowers were _always_ beautiful, but this was more than beautiful to Prompto. The center rose was pure white, surrounded by smaller baby's breath and other small white flowers Prompto didn't know the name of. "But. This isn't prom."

"No," Gladio teased, " _You're_ Prom."

"Shut up! Leave the puns to Iggy!"

Gladio laughed from deep in his belly, and took the clear box back and gently opened it up. "It's a formal occasion. Boutonniere's are acceptable, and, besides, you didn't get to go to high school prom, did you?"

Prompto quickly shook his head. He hadn't. It cost a lot of money to go to prom, even at a public school, and even if he'd had the money...well...what was the point of going to prom without a date? Or friends? He would always remember how he'd spent the night at home, doing homework while he watched movies that had prom in them instead. The feeling the memory brought up could only be described as lackluster.

"Well then, Prompto Argentum, want to go to faery prom with me?"

"Yes," he squeaked, but Gladio didn't laugh, instead, Gladio took out the beautiful boutonniere and pinned it to his jacket. "I don't have anything for you though."

"Doesn't matter," Gladio said still smiling as he pulled his hands back and Prompto could bend his head to look at it on his chest. "Your happiness is all I need." Prompto felt lips against his forehead, and though his cheeks blushed, his lips smiled. If all he wanted was his happiness, well, Gladio certainly had _that_.

They stood like that, with Prom's heart feeling ridiculously happy inside of him, and Gladio seeming to just soak it in, until Noct called for them to grab their shoes so they could head out. "Luna's gonna murder us if we're late!"

"Guess we better go grab our shoes and go."

"You gotta fix their bow ties too. They suck at tying them. Or. You know. Noct does. Ignis just can't right now."

"I think I can handle that."

Prompto rushed the room they slept in and grabbed both of their shoes before Gladio even made it to the door. As he handed Gladio's over he asked, "What do you think are the odds that Noct's totally wearing cat socks right now?"

"I think a better question is what are the odds that he's _not_ wearing them?"

"True. Too true." Prompto flopped back onto their bed to tie his shoes with a little idea bubble popped into his head. "Wait. I see what you did there. I see you!" He accusingly jabbed a finger in Gladio's direct. Once, twice, three times.

"What?" Gladio was smirking. Oh. He knew. He totally already knew. "What did I do?"

"You made sure that each of us was wearing something you gave us! You evil, possessive mastermind!"

"Technically," Gladio said, clearly holding back a laugh, "Ignis isn't wearing it. He's carrying it."

"Semantics!" This time Gladio did laugh, just in time for Ignis' irritated tone to carry down the hallway that if they kept kibitzing, they really were going to be late. Prompto laughed too before hopping up to his feet and rushing down to the front door. Today, it was Gladio who guided Ignis down to the car and opened the door for him.

Beside him, Noctis elbowed him in the side, and then lifted up one pant leg, revealing a sock that depicted very happy cats nomming on fish. "Don't tell Specs," he whispered.

"Don't tell me what?!"

"Nothing!" Noctis lied as he ran for the driver's side door, dodging several other questions Ignis threw at him as he did so.

"Are you nervous?" Ignis asked as Prompto slid into the passenger's seat, after giving up on Noctis.

"A little," Prompto admitted, and Ignis leaned forward to put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Don't be. It's just a party, smile, dance, be polite, and everything will be fine. Can you do that?"

Prompto took in a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, I think I can do that."

Noctis revved up the engine, and then they were on their way.


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY SUNDAY!
> 
> So, as you may notice, up at the top there, there is now a number of chapters this story will have, instead of just a question mark. I am NOT quite done writing it, but I'm legitimately less than 500 words away from finishing this story, so, here we are.
> 
> What does this mean? WHY YES, it means I will be going back to weekly updates until the story is finished. <3
> 
> I haven't decided exactly when, definitely not this Wednesday, but in a couple Wednesdays I also have a Summer Home update to share, that ties into the upcoming events, and I am also still working on the story-ish thing I have for after Finding Home.
> 
> Thank you all so much for sticking with me through this story. It's...legitimately been almost a year since I started it, wow. I can't believe it!
> 
> Enjoy!

"I don't see why we needed to bring these anyway."

Pulling Gladio's sword from the trunk was almost like that magic trick, the one where you kept pulling more and more connected handkerchiefs from someone's sleeve until there was just so much handkerchief that you weren't sure where they'd stashed it all. Prompto was completely unsure of how they'd managed to stash the entirety of Gladio's sword in their trunk, or how he was able to get it out without much issue. By comparison, simply grabbing his gun from the back of the trunk and handing it over was very anticlimactic.

"It's more an aged tradition of showing faith than anything else these days," Ignis began to explain as Gladio slammed the trunk closed. "We'll be handing over our weapons at the door, and by doing so, we're not only saying that we ourselves won't cause any fights as guests, but that we are trusting our hosts to resolve any issues that might arise."

"Then...why bring weapons at all?"

"Dick measuring." Noctis coughed out, and, despite being blind, Ignis managed to glare quite effectively in Noct's direction.

"That's a rather crude way of putting it, but essentially, yes. By bringing weapons we're saying that we're certainly not helpless, and it would be unwise to mess with us at all."

"So it's all just for show."

"Quite so," Ignis responded. "You'll find that between the rich and fae, most things are just for show."

Gladio returned to Prompto's side, just as the valet drove off with their car, and that was when Prompto truly allowed himself to look at his surroundings for the first time. He'd never even been by the Nox-Fleuret estate before, but it was honestly like he was standing outside the moon palace in Sailor Moon. It was all white and rich. There were pillars, and long reflecting pools, and even with the light pollution of the city beyond, the night sky had just grown dark enough for it to be a black velvet backdrop.

It was breathtakingly beautiful and hauntingly terrifying all in one.

It was only Gladio's hand at his back that urged him forward, through the gates and up the path.

"Remember, Prompto, be polite, but don't say please or thank you to anyone but us this evening. Don't make eye contact for too long. Eat, drink, but sparingly. If you can remember all that, you should be fine."

"Right." Fae had a whole ton of rules that Ignis hadn't had proper time to teach him, but if he stayed by one of them, and didn't talk too much, he knew he'd be fine. This was just a party, but Ignis made sure he knew that the fae would still adhere to their own rules. He just had to be careful. That, along with the way too fancy estate, made him kind of want to turn tail and run right there, but he had to be strong, for his pack, and for Luna, who had been so nice to invite them at all.

At the door a short man all in white stopped them, and Gladio was quick to hand over his sword, and Prompto was even faster to hand over his loaded gun. It was Ignis who hesitated for a second before making to hand over his cane. That second of hesitation as enough to show Prompto how much Ignis didn't want to hand it over, and his heart ached. He'd barely had the cane an hour, but it was probably already a sense of stability he hadn't had since the incident at the cafe.

"It's all right. Let him keep it." It was Luna who seemed to pop up out of nowhere and put her hand on Ignis' arm, "If anyone here tonight deserves to keep their weapon, it's Ignis."

The door guard didn't argue, only shrugged, and Luna guided them through the door to the most opulent space Prompto had seen yet. The floor itself seemed to be painted in swirls of gold, and the ceiling was so smooth and bright Prompto could see the rest of the room reflected in it. There were so many details that Prompto's eyes kept trying to take in everything at once, only to be brought back down to earth by Ignis' voice. "My thanks, Lady Lunafreya." Hm. Ignis was breaking his own rule, Prompto noted, but then, of course, this was just Luna. Luna wouldn't hold them to something like a thank you. No. Not Luna.

"There's no need to be so formal, Ignis. I meant it. You earned it, and I know that if you draw your weapon here it would only be to protect you or yours. I trust you."

"I truly appreciate it."

Luna smiled her megawatt smile, and Prompto noticed what she was wearing for the first time. It was a gown of pure white silk, perfectly hugging her figure, with just traces of black and gold up toward the top of it. Her makeup was light, but served to enhance her natural beauty. Her hair was twisted and braided up. A beautiful host, Prompto thought. A beautiful host, for a beautiful ball. "Let me show you around."

There was so much to see, and though there was a sea of people already here they seemed to part for Luna, and in turn, for them. She showed them the staircase that the fae guests arrived at the top of, and were introduced down. "I'll probably have Noctis introduced later, and perhaps Ignis, as his mate, but I thought you two wouldn't want that." Prompto wasn't sure about Gladio, but he definitely didn't want that, so he was grateful that he wasn't going to be subjected to being announced to literally everyone.

She showed them the refreshments table, which Prompto felt was too long and too gold to be real, and yet even as thought that people came up and poured some sort of golden liquid into glasses from an equally golden swan's beak.

She showed them the orchestra, where it played music softly, and she showed them the coat room. "It currently doesn't have anyone inside, but I suspect that will change before the end of the night." She showed them tables where they could sit and take a break, and then the dancefloor which had beautiful flowery white and gold tiling, and was currently empty. According to Luna, dancing didn't start until full dark, which was still half an hour away.

It was at this point that Prompto hit his first small panic. It wasn't over the thought of dancing, no, Prompto found he was actually rather excited to try and not fail at that, but instead it was something he smelled. Up until then the whole ball had smelled strongly of something floral, honeysuckle, if Prompto was forced to give it a name. He could also smell people, and the fainter scent of food, but now, now he was smelling something else that was wholly horrifying.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

His alpha's voice, accompanied by his hand on Prompto's shoulder pulled him back to reality, before his thoughts began to run away with him. He took a deep, shuddering breath and said, "I smell blood." It was somewhat faint, but there was no mistaking it for Prompto. Old blood, new blood, dried, fresh. Rancid. Fetid. For a moment, the idea of Ardyn filled his mind up to the brim, and his stomach rolled. Thank goodness it was empty.

"I smell it too," Ignis admitted softly, which wasn't helping Prompto's panicky thoughts. "But I'm assuming it's a guest." A guest. A guest. Prompto tried to breathe through that word. Luna wouldn't allow Ardyn to be her guest. He trusted her in that.

"You're probably smelling Caligo Ulldor."

"Ah," Ignis nodded. "That would explain it."

"You know the name, Iggy?" Gladio's voice rumbled comfortingly next to him, and the conversation itself was beginning to calm him down. His entire pack was here. Luna was here. It would be fine. It would all be fine.

"Yes. He's a member of Ieoldas' seethe, which certainly explains the smell." A vampire. That was it. There was a vampire here, and they didn't bother to try and cover the smell like Aranea did. Yes, Prompto thought with a final deep breath to calm him, that definitely explained it.

"I'm deeply sorry, Prompto. I don't have a nose like yours, so I had no idea that the smell would trigger you. Truth be told, I don't much care for Caligo myself, but he's been on the guest list since Mother was still running the balls, and it is customary to have all sorts of representatives."

"It's okay," Prompto promised, even though his heart said it wasn't. "It just caught me off guard. I'll know now." They smiled at each other, both of them a bit strained, and then, something else interrupted them.

It was a man. He was as tall, or perhaps even taller, than Gladio, and he was _pale_. So pale that he might have been a ghost, if it weren't for eyes that were subtly two different colors on a face that seemed to naturally hold a glare. Prompto briefly thought that he didn't think he wanted to see those lips curve into a smile when, of course, they did exactly that. "I see the wolves have arrived, dear sister."

Sister. Ah shit. This was Ravus. Prompto quickly took a couple steps back behind Gladio, just as Ignis took a step forward. "It is lovely to see you again, Ravus."

"And you as well, Ignis, though, I hear you aren't seeing much of anything right now."

"Ravus!" Luna hissed, and his lips curled even more into the realm of a sneer. "Don't be rude!"

"I wasn't trying to be. I was merely stating a fact. Have I offended you, Ignis?"

"Not at all. It's true, the fact I am currently blind is merely a fact Ravus ought to know."

"See, sister? No harm done." Ravus held out a hand that, if they were being totally and completely honest, made Prompto's skin crawl. "This place is rather bustling, isn't it, Noctis? Why don't you let me take your mate off to a quieter section? I promise to treat him with the utmost care and respect a host can give." Ravus was looking at Noct now, and through his face had already been twisted in a sneer, it had sunk down into a scowl. By the look that Prompto managed to glean out of the corner of his eye, Noctis shared the feeling.

"That would be up to Ignis. I'm not his keeper."

"Of course. Ignis?"

"A modicum of quietude sounds enchanting. I accept." Just like that, Ignis put his hand in Ravus' and allowed himself to be led off up a gold and marble spiral staircase that Prompto hadn't noticed until that moment. Prompto suspected there were a lot of details like that he wasn't going to notice tonight.

"No offense, Luna," Prompto said, once he was sure that even Ignis' hearing wouldn't pick up on his voice. "But I don't think I like your brother."

"Most people feel that way," Luna said with a sigh, "But he means well...Well," She glanced at Noctis, and her lips lifted into the easy smile that Ravus lacked. "Most of the time, at any rate." She chuckled. "Ravus really doesn't do all that well with crowds of people himself. Having Ignis around to talk to will be a good end to his evening, and a nice excuse for him to not talk to anyone else. I do assume that this means you'd rather not be announced though, Noctis?"

"Nah," Noctis shook his head, heaving a sigh. "I'd rather not be announced alone, if it's all the same to you."

"I thought not, but I should still make the rounds with you and do some introductions."

"If you must."

" _We_ must." With an exaggerated, put upon sigh, Noctis held out an elbow, and Luna lightly wrapped one of her own arms around it, with the other hand gently resting against it. In that moment Prompto could truly see how, in another lifetime, perhaps, they would have made a fetching couple. Light and dark, but both so fair faced and beautiful. They matched, in an almost "opposites attract" sort of way. Their children would have been gorgeous, with Luna's smile and Noct's eyes.

But that was a different life, a life he was glad they weren't living. For all its flaws, and all the bad things, he wanted to live this life. Right here. Right now.

"Make sure to eat at least a little something from the refreshments table," Luna said, patting the top of Noct's arm. "It'll cement your status as guests. I promise to bring him back to you once I'm done torturing him." She winked then, and Prompto laughed, before she pulled Noctis off into the clouds of people. There was a small knot of dread in his stomach, and Prompto chuckled quietly to himself when he realized that it belonged to Noct and not himself.

"Shall we?" Gladio asked, holding out a hand to Prompto, once Luna and Noct were out of sight.

"Yeah," Prompto said, feeling his heart hammer away excitedly in his chest, "Let's." He put his hand in Gladio's, and let himself be guided off to the refreshment's table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the gala begins in earnest.


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *Finishes writing story* Yay! I can do weekly updates again!  
> Also Me: *loses internet for a day and a half, has to celebrate for mother's birthday, hasn't even wrapped half the Christmas gifts, is generally exhausted and trades free time for sleep too much* Maybe that was a bad idea...
> 
> But I did manage to finish editing this in time! Please, enjoy the chapter and I shall see you next Sunday!

"You'd think they'd have people wandering around with little trays offering people bits of food and drink."

This wasn't to say that the table filled with food wasn't opulent or rich seeming enough. It seemed to stretch on for miles, even in this grand hall that very simply dwarfed it. Luna had showed them the table not fifteen minutes before, but glancing at it and studying it now were two very different things. When he looked at it all, Prompto wasn't sure how much food from this table would be considered a "little something." He, a werewolf, could eat his fill and a dent would not have even been made.

"I think it's the difference between "an offering" and "a gift" to the fae," Gladio grumbled, as he too seemed to be struggling with the same idea of "how much" or even "what" to eat from the table. "Just having it sitting here for all is an offering, but having people hand it out is a gift."

"What's the difference? I mean, seriously? "

"Appearances, I'd guess. The fae are all about appearances." Gladio shrugged. "You'd have to ask Noct or Iggy for more details, they both know more about fae than I do."

Prompto made a mental note to perhaps ask Ignis about all his future fae questions in the morning, and then bit the bullet and took something. It looked like it was a little pastry cup with some filling diced up inside. Truth be told, Prompto wasn't sure how delicious it looked, but he popped it in his mouth all the same. It was light and flaky, not quite crunchy, and he was pretty sure the filling was made with mushrooms. The texture was good, he thought, but the taste itself was a little bland.

The instant he thought that, the spice level in his mouth went up so high that he himself could barely stand it, and he coughed a little into his hand. "You okay? What's wrong?"

"I think," Prompto got out after managing to swallow the bite down, "I think this is magic food."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I was thinking that what I took was a little bland and then it just got _really_ spicy."

Gladio laughed. "Food that listened to your critics and changes to please you. Nice."

"Nice? More like scary."

Prompto wasn't sure he wanted to eat food that was listening to his very thoughts, but between him and Gladio they sampled a little of everything at the table, minus the drink from the swan. It was all savory finger food, "This will all probably be replaced with sweets more toward the end of the ball." Gladio said somewhere between his third or fourth bite. Which made sense, considering the word was dessert, after all. After the first bite, nothing Prompto put in his mouth was something he could call bland, and in fact, it was all really good, not quite Ignis good, but good all the same.

The things that Gladio ate apparently had a different taste entirely, more suited to his own particulars, and, as far as Prompto was concerned, that cemented the idea that this was indeed magic food in his head. Amazing, but more than a little spooky. He hoped Ignis didn't decide to spice up his cooking with magic in the future.

"I think...I think that's enough," Prompto slipped his hand into Gladio's, side stepping away from a woman who was wearing a dress so pink and fluffy Prompto wasn't sure it wasn't made of cotton candy. Upon a second glance, he realized that her skin was the exact same shade of pink, and Prompto swallowed hard, hoping her dress and skin weren't the same thing.

Beside him, Gladio didn't say anything, but when he looked up, his boyfriend was grinning down at him, and squeezed his hand, and that was good enough for Prompto. They began to weave their way away from the table, when a trumpet sounded, and they stopped short. They looked up to the grand staircase that Prompto was very glad indeed they hadn't been forced to walk down.

"Announcing!" A very tall man in white and gold livery shouted as the entire hall went silent. "Lady Stella Nox-Fleuret of House Nox-Fleuret and the Summer Court!" The woman at the top of the staircase was pretty, but not as pretty as Luna. Her hair was blonde, but a darker blonde, her smile was strained and unnatural, but it was easy to forget that as she seemed simply to flow down the stairs with grace, her white gown floating behind her as though it were made of little more than air itself. At the bottom of the stairs, Lady Stella fell into what Prompto was pretty sure was a curtsy, and the man in livery banged the bottom of his staff against the floor twice. The dull chatter and other noise in the hall resumed.

For a second longer, Prompto watched as Stella rose back up to her feet, and she was instantly greeted by Luna and Noctis, still arm in arm. He bit back a chuckle at Noct's smile, which was even more strained and uncomfortable than Stella's own.

For a little while after that, Prompto wandered quietly with Gladio, looking at the things Luna had shown them more closely, and, if they were being honest, avoiding contact with the other guests. Once, only once, did they come so close to the scent of blood that Prompto nearly choked, heart pounding in his chest. The smell emanated from a short fat man nearby, and Prompto crinkled his nose, even as Gladio steered him away.

"Vampires don't eat normal food right?"

"I don't really know for sure," Gladio admitted, "But if they do, it'd only be for pleasure."

Prompto decided that later, much later, he'd text Aranea and ask, but either way, the idea was disgusting. Caligo either ate so much unnecessary food that he showed it, or...well...how much blood did a vampire have to drink to pack on the pounds? Prompto shuddered to imagine it.

Three times, while they were wandering, the man in livery up at the top of the staircase announced a new guest. Each time they were gorgeous, young, and ethereal looking as they came down the stairs. Each time, Prompto was increasingly glad that they had decided to skip that bit.

After the last guest was announced Luna flounced up to the top of the stairs herself, looking every bit a beautiful princess of fairytales as she did so. "Honored guests!" She began, her voice ringing loud and clear, despite not having a microphone and not yelling. "Thank you for coming to this year's celebration of Midsummer with us! I know some, even most, of you have traveled far from your Courts on the other side to be here with my brother and I, and I assure you that I am happy to see each and every one of your faces out here this beautiful night!" Looking at her face, Prompto smelled a lie, not a whole lie, but a _little_ bit of one. There were at least a couple people she didn't want here. For sure. "Please! Accept our tokens of gratitude by eating, drinking, and dancing until the night has fled and dawn arrives! I declare the gala fully open!"

There was clapping, light and polite, as Luna made her way down the stairs again, to be lost in the crowd of people before Prompto could tell if she had rejoined Noctis or Stella.

"Does...does that mean dancing is open now?"

As though to answer his question, the orchestra began to play something more lively than they had been before that, and Prompto found that he recognized the 3/4 time of a waltz, and people around them started to gravitate toward the dance floor, pairing up in dancing pairs that moved together in such unison that it was honestly spooky.

"I guess so," Gladio chuckled. "Shall we?"

"I dunno," Prompto caught himself gnawing on his lower lip, and forced himself to stop. "I might step on your feet."

"I'll live. Besids, Iggy says you've really picked up waltzing well."

"No offense, but I step on his feet all the time, and he's blind."

"Full offense, but you know Iggy doesn't hand out compliments he doesn't mean."

Prompto snorted, a reluctant smile crawling its way onto his face. "That's true." He had to admit it, that was true, and it defeated his own argument.

"So?" Gladio held out a hand, "Dance with me?"

Something small wiggled inside Prompto's chest at the motion. It wasn't quite excitement, but it wasn't quite dread. It wasn't quite love either. Perhaps it was whimsy. "Yeah," he said softly, hesitantly putting his hand in Gladio's. "Okay."

When he looked up at Gladio's face, the only word he could think of to describe his expression was adoration. Adoration and love. For _him_.

That thing in his chest wiggled more.

Gladio led him out onto the dancefloor, somehow, magically weaving between other dancers seamlessly, their hands never parting, even as Gladio turned, and pulled them to that their chests practically touched, "Lead or follow?"

"Follow," Prompto breathed, feeling like the air didn't want to stay or leave his lungs. It felt thin, but he had no time to think about how thin or thick the air was when Gladio began to dance. It was definitely different than dancing with Ignis. Even blind, Ignis had a grace to him, once he got going. Ignis made dancing seem like water flowing through a river, all the steps were one, and you never knew where one step ended and the next began. Dancing with Gladio wasn't like that. The steps were pronounced, and as a result, they were easier to follow.

Learning to dance with Ignis had made dancing seem like an art. Dancing here with Gladio made the dancing fun. They moved, and twirled, and stepped this way and that, ever intertwined. His heart raced in his chest, and Prompto threw his head back and laughed, the sound lost somewhere between the music and the rush of air and people. He laughed, and he felt Gladio's grip on him tighten, their feet pick up pace just a little. Just enough.

Prompto hadn't known that dancing could be like this. It was formal, and structured, and yet even with all the people around them, it was like they were the only ones here. Was this what being high felt like? He was pretty sure that if it was, he could understand why people always chased the feeling. Prompto loved this. This dancing. This high. He felt like they could keep doing this forever. For a little while, or perhaps even a long while, it felt like they did. They danced on and on, and even though Prompto knew his legs felt the strain, he didn't want to stop.

Something changed. A second later, Prompto's brain caught up with the fact that music's tempo had changed, and a second after that, he registered that Gladio was leading them back off the dance floor, hands still clasped.

His chest heaved, and his legs complained, but he was grinning, smiling, happy. Gladio's chest wasn't heaving, but he was grinning too. "How long were we dancing?"

"Almost an hour, I think," Gladio answered a little breathlessly, the first indication to Prompto that Gladio felt any strain at all.

"Really?" Prompto's own breath came in almost ragged pants, the air feeling like it sliced against his lungs as he took it in. "That long?" He knew that the joyous dancing had felt like it had been both a long time and a short time, but an hour? For real? "It couldn't have been."

Gladio laughed, leaning down to kiss Prompto briefly. "We've gotta have Iggy spruce up your lore knowledge." They kissed again, the backs of Gladio's fingers gliding pleasingly down the side of Prompto's face. "Later though. I'm going to get us something to drink before we go back. Wait for me?"

Prompto nodded, and Gladio drifted away from him, careful not to let his feet touch the dance floor, as though merely stepping on it would drag him back under its spell. Soon, he was out of sight, and Prompto was left wholly to the whims of waiting. He didn't mind, he took the opportunity to look at the other dancers, graceful and beautiful, and after doing that for about a minute (or maybe longer, if what felt like a couple of songs took up an entire hour) he thought to check in with the other two members of his pack.

When he let himself pluck at the Noct's bond, he got an almost instant answer back, a similar plucking, accompanied by a cocktail of emotions that lingered somewhere between awkward nervousness and genuine enjoyment. Noct wasn't a social person, so that was the probably the awkward part, but spending the evening with Luna was the enjoyment. Noct didn't drag himself out of bed for just anyone. If Prompto had had any doubt before, seeing Noctis put himself through a ringer just to spend an evening pleasing Luna and being there for her huge event proved how much he really loved her.

Checking in on Ignis surprisingly yielded a similar result. He tugged on the bond, and Ignis tugged back, the motion even felt a little playful in a way Ignis normally wasn't. Prompto was satisfied with that, but the tug came again, sharper, and Prompto looked up to the balcony Ravus had taken him some time earlier to see Ignis standing there, gloved hands on the marble. He tugged back again, and from this distance he could just barely see Ignis' lips curve up into a smile before a hand lifted and he waved, almost childishly.

Foolishly, and knowing it was foolish, Prompto waved back. Then, behind him, Ravus must have said something, because Ignis turned around again. Prompto grinned. It looked like whatever they were talking about was heated, but not aggressively so. "Like a debate team." Prompto mumbled to himself. At least they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

It felt good to know that everyone in his pack was feeling good right now, that they would pass the night like this, and then stumble off to bed in the morning to sleep it all off. It felt good, and magical, and free.

Or at least it did for a couple of seconds, until behind him the sound of that staff hitting the floor reached his ears and everything stopped. Literally, everything stopped. The dancing, the music, the chatter. It all stopped, and when Prompto turned around and saw who at being announced at the top of the stairs, he swore his heart stopped too.

The man in livery's lips were moving, but all Prompto wasn't listening. All his attention was taken by Ardyn's face staring down at them like he was a wolf, overlooking a flock of sheep.

Prompto was certain that's exactly what they were.


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday to you all!
> 
> On Wednesday I will have my latest and perhaps/probably last chapter of _Summer Home_ up.
> 
> Life is still kicking my ass, but I managed to get this chapter all edited for you. Just two more to go! <3 Hopefully January will be better. I mean, January doesn't have a whole bunch of major holidays.
> 
> Also, the theme for this chapter is: *Insert villain rant trope here*
> 
> See you all on Wednesday!

Ardyn was talking, and Prompto wasn't listening. He kept trying to tell his brain that he needed to listen. Ardyn was here for a reason, and it definitely wasn't a good one, surely, as all evil villains do, he was talking about his scheme right now as he took leisurely steps down the stairs sipping from a glass of champagne. He was sure this was what was happening. Ardyn was going to blow something up, or take someone hostage, or pour more metal right over someone's face, but Prompto's brain wasn't listening.

Listen! Listen! Listen! It was surely important!

Gladio yanked on their bond. It was like a bucket of cold water in his face, and Prompto gasped for air, suddenly hyper aware that he hadn't been breathing, hyper aware of how his heart pounded painfully in his chest, hyper aware of how his stomach was twisting into knots so tight that Prompto was surprised he hadn't thrown up all the food in his stomach. He wanted to grab onto Gladio, onto Noctis, onto Ignis. He wanted to bury his face in their clothes, take in their scents, and their comfort, to realize that this was a hallucination, or there was something in the food. He can't, because it's real, and no one is moving, because they all agreed not to fight unless attacked, they'd agreed by handing their weapons over at the door, and Ardyn was just talking, he hasn't harmed anyone, and _shit_ everything's fucked.

He was still talking. He'd reached the bottom of the stairs, and the guests were parting for him. Like he's a king.

Ardyn was still talking.

Prompto tried to listen.

"Now! Don't get me wrong, I understand that this will be quite some inconvenience to all of you!" He's walking more quickly now, and people are parting more quickly, almost jumping to get out of his way. "But in time, I know we'll all come to see eye to eye! The Nox-Fleurets have been playing a dangerous game for over a century now, what with lending their hearts out to humans and other mortals. With their attempting to form bonds between courts that clearly do not mix."

The panic inside Prompto threatened to overtake his senses again as Ardyn reached his section of the ballroom. People were still moving out of way, letting him through. No one speaks, no one interrupts. Prompto wants to yell and scream, but his throat's clenched shut, even as Ardyn walks not ten feet in front of him. Ardyn doesn't look at him. H doesn't even glance. It's a relief, and Prompto let himself breath in a great gulp of air. And then it hits him.

He wasn't smelling the blood.

Ardyn was so close that he could rush forward and shove him if his legs would move, but he can't smell the blood that follows him everywhere. That means one thing: That's not Ardyn. He's not actually there, ranting about closing portals and separating the fae. Ardyn is somewhere else. It's a distraction. It's a trap.

He opened his mouth to scream it. He opened his mouth to force his throat to proclaim that this is a fake, and the real danger was elsewhere. He prepared himself, but then he felt a hand at his back, sharp nails digging into his skin through the layers. There's a head by his shoulder, and then words in his ear. "I would not do that if I were you." Prompto has never heard this voice before, but he knows. He knows that behind him is Ardyn. The voice may be unfamiliar, but he speaks, and he can't hide it from Prompto. It's Ardyn. The smell of blood overwhelms him, and it all clicks into place. Ardyn had been there all along, wearing the face of one Caligo Ulldor.

The revelation dizzies him for a moment, but then something in his twisting gut solidifies, and he opens his mouth anyway. So he'll die. Right here. So what? Ardyn will die too. His pack will avenge not only him, but Ignis, and Ignis' uncle, and all the other people Ardyn's hurt. He's only one. And he can save many in one moment. He takes in a deep breath, and Ardyn speaks again. "I understand. You care nothing for your own life. I hear being part of a pack has that effect on one's mind, but if you cry out, then poor, poor blind Ignis will die, and it will be all your fault."

"What do you mean?" Prompto rasped, his lungs seeming to shrivel in his chest at preparing for loud, and only going quiet. "Ignis is safe."

"Of course he is," Ardyn cooed in his ear. "Until I tell Ravus to kill him."

No. No. Ravus blunt and crass, not as kind or warm as his sister, but surely, surely, "Ravus wouldn't--"

"Do that? Hm?" Ardyn chuckled, "Are you sure? How well do you know him? Do you know how disgusted he is by his sister's love of humanity? How he despises her wife? How he looks down his nose at her best friend? Do you know how he hates her mission of unification? I would guess not, but I do. I know, and Ravus and I have...an understanding. So. If you want your precious _Iggy_ to live until morning, you will stay quiet."

Prompto thinks Ardyn might be lying, but he's still not the greatest at sensing the differences, especially when he's not looking at their face, and especially not with Ardyn. He can't be sure that Ardyn isn't telling the truth, and so he stayed quiet. He was perfectly willing to sacrifice himself, but he won't give up Ignis. Ignis had been through too much to die now, so he stayed quiet, even as he watched Not-Really-Ardyn make it the front doors with a sneer on his face. He stayed quiet even as the Not-Ardyn bowed in mockery and said, "I am not wholly a monster though! In the spirit of Midsummer's Night, I will give you until morning to crawl back through your little holes. Just until then. Get started."

All at once there was a din of panicking sounds and a flurry of motion as the guests hurried to do as their told. It struck Prompto as absurd. They were fae, creatures that since coming to live with Noctis, he'd always been given the impression that they were highly powerful and mostly stoic beings. Emphasis on highly powerful, yet it had only taken a few words to send these powerful beings into a frenzied panic. Or was that magic too? Prompto supposed he'd never know.

Above the noise a voice clear, crisp, and cutting rose. "Noctis! It's not Ardyn!" It's not Prompto screaming the fact. No. Prompto thinks with pride. It's not him.

It's Ignis.

"Find Prompto! Now!"

"Ah," Ardyn tsked in his ear. "I always knew he was the smart one." He laughed, soft and slimy on Prompto's skin. "That's our cue to leave, dear Prompto."

"They'll come for me," Prompto thought as his heart quieted in his chest. He's terrified. Oh, yes, he was terrified. He was drowning in the scent of blood. Ardyn's taking him captive, and there was nothing he can do about it in this chaos, but he wasn't alone. They went for Ignis. They would surely come for him.

"Why Prompto," Ardyn chuckled. "I'm counting on it." The hand that had been digging into his back moved like lightning up to his neck. There was a flash of pain, and for a time, Prompto knew nothing more.

When he awoke, it was to the sensation of pain. Not his own, but the pain of the change. Someone in the pack was shifting forms, or had just finished, and through the haze of coming back to consciousness, he couldn't tell who it was. Someone though, just one. One of them had decided to face this as a wolf. Weakly, Prompto smiled. They were coming for him, and he didn't think Ardyn was as prepared for it as he thought he was.

It took a few more seconds for Prompto to really begin taking stock of what was what and where he was. He was lying on something hard, and he could hear the lapping of water against something beneath them. The docks, his muddled brain supplied him. The docks. Perhaps the very same docks where he'd found that dead vampire, all those weeks ago now.

"I see you've decided to wake," Ardyn's very voice was a sneer, and, even knowing it was futile, Prompto jammed his eyes shut and willed himself to wake in Noct's bed, surrounded by his loved ones and their cat. A dream. He knew it wasn't, but he wished. "A whole ten minutes earlier than expected even, your constitution has improved."

He wasn't bound, and so Prompto moved, no matter how much his body tried to tell him to stay put, to shut up, to stay still. Ardyn had tormented him for a year. It wasn't to say that he wasn't afraid. He was mortally terrified. He wasn't going to let that stop him. Not now. Never again, if he had any proper say in it. "Why do you hate your family so much?"

"Hm?" Ardyn's chuckle dripped condescension, and his face was it's definition in the dictionary as Prompto sat himself up. He did hurt, a little. His head ached, a little. "Are you sure this isn't about _you_?"

"It's not." Prompto shook his head, which was a mistake of course. His head throbbed and swam like the fish in the lake beyond the docks, and he had to take a second to steady himself, but he also needed to keep talking. His pack was coming for him. Even if all he could do was be a distraction for now, he'd do it. "Maybe it was, at first. Way back. When I first came to Insomnia and you found me. Maybe it was about me then, but now...it's about your blood." They'd told him that way back then, hadn't they? Ardyn had a vendetta against his family. The feeling was wholly mutual. "Even when you targeted me specifically, it wasn't about me. It was about fraying us. Tearing us apart. Going after Ignis wasn't about me. It wasn't even about Ignis. That was for Noctis. You hadn't gotten a strong enough reaction from me for the girl at the docks, so you went for his heart."

Prompto wasn't really sure that was true. He wasn't positive, but it made sense in his jelly brain. It made sense, and then Ardyn said it. "You pay more attention than I thought." He breathed out a soft ha. "I suppose we have a bit of time, don't we?" He laughed, and crouched down so that they were on the same level. Some people might have thought it was polite, except that Prompto knew it was terribly intimidating. "You're right. It was never about you. You were just a bit of fun between times. I picked you because you looked like someone I once knew, years ago. An interesting man that, though personality-wise you are nothing alike. You were supposed to die at the end of it, I'd already planned it, you escaped...perhaps a week before I would have ended your suffering. I was getting bored, but then you escaped, or were saved...saved, and I fled, covering my tracks.

"Finding you again in Insomnia was happenstance. Finding who came to your aide when you balked...well. Noctis Lucis-Caelum is a different story entirely."

Ardyn paused, and then laughed, full and insane, before he asked, "Do you know how werewolves came to be?" Prompto quickly shook his head, and Ardyn grinned, full of teeth. "I'll tell you. It won't matter, you'll be dead soon enough, but..." He shrugged. "You've heard the sorts of stories where wolves raise human children? _The Jungle Book_ if naught else. Romulus and Remus? The like. Most things have their base in fact somewhere along the line. A werewolf is what happens when a powerful "benevolent" fae "takes pity" on such children and tries to make them more like the kin they've grown with. My brother and I thought it a blessing at first, but eventually we saw it for the curse it was."

"You. You were..."

"The _first_ , yes. Somnus and I were abandoned as babes, and a wolf pack took pity on us, but we couldn't run like them, grow like them, speak like them, breed like them. They wanted us to leave, and we didn't want to. Long story short, the fae saw our strife and it...touched her. Without asking, because fae always think they know best, she solved our problem for us. Free of charge. I later relieved her of her breath as thanks." Prompto shuddered. He honestly wasn't sure which was worse, the fae, causing such a terrible thing, or Ardyn killing her for the act of trying to help.

"It was Somnus who figured out how packs worked. It was I who figured out how to change others. Somnus didn't see the point in changing others. Cruel, he thought it. I disagreed, and Somnus didn't like being disobeyed."

"You changed others."

"I did. Why wouldn't I want a pack to live with? That was the whole reason we'd wanted to be wolves, to truly be part of the pack we'd been raised by. I thought Somnus would see reason." Clearly, by the stark silence that followed, Ardyn had been wrong about that.

Someone, Noctis, pulled at his bond. Prompto pulled back. Alive. He sent down it. He was alive. He was awake. He was waiting. Noctis pulled back again. They were coming. Soon it would be over.

"What did your brother do?"

There was a moment in which Prompto heard nothing at all, not even the water under the dock or the cars out on the road some distance away, before Ardyn answered. "Oh, the typical fairytale bit. Cursed me with the magic we'd shared since we were children. Made it so that I was unable to ever have pack, that I could never have what I'd so sought. In return, I vowed that his blood would never rest easy so long as they or I was alive. Regis and Noctis are the last of the line. I've killed or driven all the others so insane so that their own packs turned on them. I don't foresee any more children being born to the line, and so, soon we can all rest. Some of us more underground than others, but that's life. And death. Now," Ardyn smiled, almost wistfully, almost believably before he stood and stretched to his full height. "I've gotten the villain rant trope out of the way, so it's your turn, Prompto. How far away are they?"

Ardyn had asked him a question, but Prompto hadn't processed it yet. He was still processing the evil villain monologue. He'd been fairly flippant about it, but Prompto couldn't imagine that kind of pain. For a year he'd been a werewolf without a pack, and when he thought back on it, even without the captivity and the torture, he wouldn't want to it again. It'd been made clear to him early on that pack was very important to a werewolf. They went insane without pack. If all this was true, and Ardyn and his brother were the very first wolves...how old did that truly make him? How long had he been suffering?

"I'm sorry that happened to you," Prompto whispered, meaning it. He did. He meant it. He was sorry that Ardyn was suffering. He was sorry his brother had cursed him, even if he'd had a reason. He was sorry he hurt, and he was sorry he felt he had to hurt others. He also felt it would be okay, because tonight Ardyn was going to die, and then his pain would stop. His pain would stop, and so would theirs.

"A very omega response. Good for you." Ardyn grinned lopsidedly, "Answer the question."

The question. Ardyn had asked him to betray his pack, to tell him if they close or far. The next question would surely be if he knew their plan of attack. The answer was no, Prompto had no idea, but to get to that question, first he had to answer this one. "I won't."

"How valiant," Ardyn's voice mocked him, "But pointless. I could kill you right now, and then they would have no reason to come."

"In the event of my death my alpha will avenge me, and then mourn me with all his soul." The words came unbidden to his lips, not sounding like his own. They weren't, he realized. They were Noct's words, Noct's vows to him. The vows made to him when he'd joined the pack. Those vows that made him so certain they'd come for him. He'd made a vow too. To be worth it. He was going to be worth it. "I will not talk. You've never had pack, so you don't understand just how much I love them." He did. He loved them so much. They didn't even have to be romantic thoughts. He'd loved them before that. He'd loved them in those early days when Noct had played those first video games, and Ignis had folded laundry with him, and Gladio had taken him on daily road trips. He'd loved them then, and he loved them now. He would love them after he was dead and gone.

His love for his pack was eternal. Unconditional. It was something he knew Ardyn couldn't understand.

"People often do stupid things in the name of love."

"That's true. That's fine. I still won't betray them. I will protect them to my last breath."

Ardyn smirked. "Your last breath can certainly be arranged."

And then Ardyn was attacked by a giant white wolf.

The suddenness of it scared even Prompto. Gladio, his brain had to scream at his pounding heart. That wolf was Gladio. At the same time his brain screamed at itself asking how. He hadn't heard him coming. They both should have heard him coming a mile away. Gladio the Wolf was not a subtle creature, even during their moon hunts. He was big and loud, and made more for simply chasing prey down and snapping their neck.

Speaking of snapping necks, that was clearly what Gladio was trying to do now, all teeth and snarls. He'd had the element of surprise, but Ardyn was quickly getting over it. He was bleeding, though Prompto wasn't sure from where or how much, but already he was starting to strong-arm Gladio back.

Behind them, just barely behind them, lightning struck the water, and thunder instantly followed. His brain was screaming at his heart again, when a hand gripped his shoulder tightly, "Run," Noct's voice, his order, filled his entire being. "Run, Prompto." And then Noctis was gone from his side and was in Ardyn's space, magic that Prompto couldn't comprehend flashing at his fingertips, and a battle his eyes couldn't follow blurring before him.

His alpha had given him an order. It had sunk into his bones like a winter cold, tugging at him. Run. Run away. Save yourself. It tugged and pulled, but he was an omega. He didn't have to obey. He didn't. He found himself stuck there, watching his pack fight for their future, while he was just standing there, unable to help, but also unable to flee. It was the worst feeling. The absolute worst, wanting to help, but knowing you can't, not even knowing how.

Run.

Run. Run. Run.

The order, stronger than any order Noctis had ever given him before buzzed in his brain, trying to make him obey. Obey. He kept watching. This fight where the scent of blood and ozone kept growing stronger. This fight where Gladio fought with teeth and claw, and Noctis fought with magic and Gladio's sword swinging about like it weighed nothing. This fight where Ardyn fought with little more than a grin and the snapping of fingers.

It was Ardyn who was winning.

There was limited space on the docks, where water threatened them. It kept them from fully free movement, and Prompto was positive that had been the point. Ardyn didn't have to do much. He just had to stave them off, and then strike with magic. It was working. He'd driven Noctis off to one side of the docks and Gladio, his white fur marred with bright blood, to the other.

Ardyn smirked and lifted a hand. It was right then that Prompto knew what he had to do.

Prompto finally obeyed Noctis' order. He ran. He ran right into Gladio's side, shoving him out of the way, just as a great blast of heat collided with him and propelled him backward. Over the din of battle, he heard Noctis cry out his name, and then he hit the water, and all he knew for a moment was freezing cold against the summer heat he'd known before. Then, Prompto knew he was sinking. He was dying - drowning, but somehow, perhaps it was shock, he wasn't afraid of it.

He'd said to his last breath. He'd meant it, in fact, he was pretty sure he'd felt his last breath leave his lungs to float to the surface.

His lungs screamed, and his body struggled, wanting, but not finding air. The fight in his body quickly fled, and his senses began to follow.

Prompto was dimly aware that something was pulling at him, pulling him deeper, but he was too far gone to truly register it.

His world was already black.


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday! <3
> 
> This is the last chapter before the sort of epilogue thing I wrote, and indeed this is a reminder that I do have more to post after the main story! It just won't be weekly for the most part.
> 
> The only thing I really have to say about this chapter is that I suck at fight scenes (and that is not fishing for compliments, it's just fact) so my apologies if it leaves anyone feeling like this chapter was subpar. I did try my best!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and I will see you all next week for the last bit! <3

Prompto coughed. What felt like an entire ocean of water bubbled up in his throat and hands were turning him over so that it fell onto the rocks beneath him, rather than back into his mouth and down into his lungs.

"That's it," Ignis' voice soothed in his ear. "Breathe for me, Prompto. Breathe."

Breathing was a task between hacking up his lungs, but he managed it in great gasping gulps while Ignis' rubbed circles into his shoulder blades. It felt like yet another eternity before the impulse to cough faded, and when it did, the entire world seemed to come back to him. The fight, Ardyn, so much magic and blood, losing. They were losing. They were going to die!

He jerked back so harshly that he fell painfully on his ass, Ignis' hands preventing him from falling and cracking his head off the rocks too. "None of that," Ignis hissed. "Take a minute. We're not so desperate as that. Not yet."

"But--!"

"No. Sit. It will do them no good to go charging in. Catch your breath, and then we will formulate a plan." It took almost all his self control to listen to the sense in those words, to force himself to sit back even when he could feel the battle going on his heart, even though he couldn't hear it. He couldn't hear it. "How far away are we?"

"Not very," Ignis said in his comforting tone, those hands reaching out and beginning to peel his tuxedo jacket off. "But I felt Noctis set up a complicated spell earlier, if you're wondering why it's quiet."

"I thought Noct sucked at delicate magic."

"He does, when he doesn't feel the need to focus. Ardyn took you. He has a great deal of focus right now." Well, Prompto supposed that was the reason he hadn't heard them approach earlier. No sound out, no sound in. That was a cool trick. It would probably feel cooler if there weren't a battle going on at the edge of his senses. Ignis' fingers found his shoulders and again rubbed circles there, soft, small circles that began to heat up. That was magic too. The fact slid through the cracks in his brain, and he looked up, finally, to fully take in Ignis' appearance.

To put it frankly, Ignis looked like a wet cat. His jacket, his bow tie, and his glasses were completely missing. His hair was dripping and hung down in his face. In fact, all of Ignis was dripping wet, a sign that he'd gone in the water after him, a thing that could have as easily killed them both as it had saved Prompto. His gaze was drawn back to his eyes though. The clouded gray-white that had replaced Ignis' beautiful green still stared back at him, but it was almost like staring at the night sky in the countryside, except the stars that shined through were pink. Pink like magic.

Prompto tilted his head, and Ignis' eyes followed the motion. "Iggy? Can you see?"

"I wouldn't use the word see. It's...more that I'm sensing the magic in everything."

"How?"

"I made a trade. I traded with Lunafreya for the ability to help my pack through his ordeal."

"And she gave you the ability to sense magic?"

"She gave me this." In the semi-darkness it took Prompto a second to see the object in question. It was a ring. Beautiful, and suspiciously familiar, though there wasn't really any time to question its familiarity now.

"And it let's you sense magic? So you can sort of see?"

"Think of it...like an equip item in a game. I have it on, my magic is at level 100, no matter what my normal level might be. In exchange, it slowly depletes my HP."

Well _damn_. Ignis had been paying way more attention to his and Noct's video games than Prompto had ever given him credit for. Of course, he did play King's Knight with all of them, but was that enough to really know this sort of thing? Not important. Right now, the important question was, "So it's hurting you?"

"Very much so. Which is just another reason we need to end this as quickly as possible. Do you think you can stand steady now?"

Prompto tested it, pushing himself up to his feet, and he only swayed a little before he came to a stop. He tested it a little further, shifting his weight between his feet. He wasn't at his best, far from it, not with the shared pains and aches from the battle he could not hear, not with the ache in his throat, and the raw feeling in his lungs, and not with the drain of energy he was feeling from all ends of the pack, but he was steady, and for now, that's what mattered. "I'm good to go."

"Wonderful."

"Iggy? You're not going to ask me to stay behind, are you?" He couldn't blame him if the answer was yes. He was untrained and certainly a liability in a fight, but he didn't want to be left behind. He didn't want to be kept safe. He wanted to fight this fight with his pack. He wanted to win this fight with his pack. He wanted to go home with his pack and never worry about Ardyn again.

"No, I'm not." Ignis picked something up off the ground nearby and then pressed it into his own hand. It was his gun. Ignis had brought his gun. Prompto was relieved. "I want you to hang back, to watch for the right moment, but I think you are actually the key to our success." Ignis moved away from Prompto again, this time to pick up his cane, and Prompto grinned as he watched Ignis pull out the blade from within. It was still so cool. So badass. He was happy Ignis had it. "Shall we?"

"Yeah."

They ran, though Ignis was right, it wasn't far. When he looked through the darkness he could still see the docks, he could even see sparks and lights flashing when magic was cast. He felt around the bonds and became more aware of everyone's wounds, including Ignis' own from their previous encounter with Ardyn. They needed to do this quickly, he thought. They couldn't hold out for too long.

Suddenly there was sound.

The harshness of it against the previous relative quiet of the lake water and sounds of them running was nearly deafening. Thunder clapped, wind whistled, and Noctis screamed. Not in pain, Prompto told his pounding heart, that was anger. It thrummed in his veins. This needed to end. That was something that Prompto was sure everyone, even Ardyn, agreed on. This needed to end.

"Hang back," Ignis told him again. "You have good eyes. You will know when the moment comes."

Ignis left him to join the fray, and Prompto was instantly very not sure exactly how good his eyes really were. It was impossible to watch everything at once. His eyes seemed to be distracted by everything. Gladio's limp as he ran, Noct's bleeding side, his eyes so bright and pink Prompto felt like they ought to burst in their sockets (please no.) Ignis' arrival seemed to be a surprise to Ardyn, because he seemed to falter a bit, just enough that Ignis' shiny new sword stuck itself neatly in his shoulder, the cane base not forgotten as it too was slammed into the side of Ardyn's head. Prompto didn't think his shoulder had been Ignis' aim, but it was something, however short lived it was before Ardyn pulled away .

His packmate's footsteps became more complicated after that, so much harder to follow. It was like they were dancing around each other, dancing around Ardyn. Noctis stopped relying on magic, and worked in tune with Ignis. Gladio's sword absurdly large in Noctis' hands, yet he swung it around like it was no heavier than a baseball bat. By comparison, Ignis' sword was comically small, yet swung with no less skill. Gladio was aiming low, his jaws always trying to get a good hold on Ardyn's ankles or knees.

The three of them wove in and out, between and over each other in their attacks, and Prompto found that he was bobbing his head to and fro in time before he realized that this was the Hunting Song. It wasn't full moon, and not all of them were wolves, but they were hunting together. Ardyn was their prey. They had started the night out as hunted, but now the roles were reversed and they hunted Ardyn. They could win. Prompto truly believed it for the first time.

Together, they could walk away whole.

Where Noctis had stopped relying so heavily on magic, Ardyn was using it more. Fire burst forth from his fingers, he changed shapes, as though shapes would confuse their noses, and weapons that seemed to be made of nothing more than pure magical energy appeared out of nowhere and attacked. More than once, Prompto himself found that he was dancing out of the way of a spear or a short sword. It wasn't a pack, but Ardyn's magic, great as it was, definitely closed a large part of the gap between their sides.

Gladio's fur was severely burned, and Prompto could feel the heat on his own skin, digging deeper and deeper with every moment. Prompto could also feel that even with the ring that enhanced him, Ignis was starting to falter. He would not last much longer. They needed to end this. They needed a distraction.

At the thought, the gun in his hands heated up until it was almost burning in his grasp. A distraction. Could the gun do that for them? Could the magic bullets inside do something to distract Ardyn long enough? As though to answer him the gun got even hotter, almost too hot to hold. Okay. Yeah. Maybe this was the moment Ignis had told him to watch for. He had to hope it was.

Where to shoot? Not at Ardyn. It was too likely that he'd hit one of his packmates, and off to the sides seemed too far away. He shot upward, and the most amazing thing happened. The bullet burst into a million bits of light that lingered in the air with nearly blinding intensity. Prompto thought it was beautiful, but Ardyn screamed in pain. Feeling vicious and powerful, Prompto shot off the second enchanted bullet to the same effect, and to Ardyn's continued pain. This time, Prompto saw that Gladio didn't hesitate in the light. Gladio went straight for the throat. Noctis and Ignis followed his lead.

As the light faded from the sky, Prompto approached his pack to see that Ardyn was helpless on his back. Gladio's teeth were in his neck, and both swords were buried in his chest. Ardyn was still breathing. A year ago, Prompto thought vaguely, he would not have been able to look at this. Not even two months ago, perhaps. He would have felt horrible. He would have felt pity. Perhaps, later, he would feel those things, but now, all Prompto knew was that even a year ago, he wouldn't have been able to do what he was about to do. He would have left it to his pack, but now, right now, after everything, the girl's body, the attack on Ignis, his own kidnapping, he had to be sure.

Prompto raised his gun, and he pulled the trigger.

Ardyn finally stopped breathing.

Prompto took in a breath, his first Ardyn-free breath in over two years. Prompto felt free.

The next thing Prompto was really aware of was the gun being pulled from his hands, and Ignis trying to pull the ring off his finger. He was wobbling. It was Noctis who steadied him, and it was Noctis who took his mate's hand and pried the ring off of it. Apparently that ring had been all that had been keeping Ignis going, because once it was off, he swayed and then fell forward. "Is he...?"

"Just asleep," Noct assured him, even as he tried to awkwardly get Ignis up and onto Gladio's back. "I don't know what this does exactly, but...it's been pulling at our energy for a while. I'm not sure how long I'm going to last myself."

"Should we...head home then?" Words were hard. It wasn't that he was choked up or emotional. In fact, he felt oddly empty just then. He'd thought that if Ardyn were gone he'd feel joy, happiness, but there was just this sort of sense that he was _free_ of something now. He wasn't quite sure what to do with it.

Sleep would help, the little Ignis in his head told him. Go home, sleep, and in the morning things will be clearer. Personally, he agreed with the little Ignis in his head. Sleep hadn't helped when it had been Ignis passed out possibly never to return, but this was different. This was just...something he needed to sort out. Sleep, and probably breakfast, would help. He had his loves, he had his life. In the morning, all would seem brighter.

In front of him, Noctis was shaking his head. "Home soon, but I wanna check in with Luna first. Okay?"

Dully, Prompto nodded, and then Noctis shoved Ardyn's body into the shallow end of the water, ("I'll come back later when I have the energy, and take care of it properly. It's been a while, but, you know, bicycles and all that.") and the three of them began to slowly shuffle along like penguins back to the Nox-Fleuret Estate, and Prompto realized he was definitely not the only one left feeling numb.

He could just barely see the sun rising in the east by the time they got back to the estate. The soft purples, pinks, and oranges were starting to stain the clouds, and it was, of course, beautiful. In the growing light, the starkness of all the white around the estate seemed even bolder, and, it probably didn't help that he was so tired that everything seemed to pulse a little in time to his heartbeat.

Ignis was still passed out on Gladio's back, and, just a little, Prompto was jealous for no other reason than he too wanted to sleep. Forever. Sleeping forever in a nice warm bed with his pack around him sounded like the best plan ever.

Luna herself didn't look much better than they did. She was still beautiful in her dress, but her hair had come halfway out of its style at some point, and the dark circles under her eyes were unmistakable. She was smiling though, and ran forward into Noct's arms as Ravus glowered behind her. Noctis was so tired he barely lifted those arms to pat her back. "Everyone's all right, yes?"

"Ye-yeah," Noctis answered, stifling a yawn. "Bruised, battered, tired, but we're alive. Ardyn's not."

"Splendid. I'm glad it worked out. Truly."

"How're things here? Everyone get back safely? Was it a bluff?"

"Unfortunately not. Over an hour ago, Ravus told me that all the nearby circles have imploded. Some got through in time, but others are stuck here for the time being. Nothing terrible, there are other circles they can still pass through. I just have to buy a few plane tickets. Still, knowing now that Ardyn truly has passed on, I suspect he had a death spell placed on them. Just in case."

"I don't get it," Noctis grumbled, "He didn't hate the fae. Just _us_. Me and Dad."

"No," Prompto said softly. "He did his evil villain rant thing before you guys showed up. He definitely hated the fae too. Wanted revenge on them too." Prompto wasn't sure Ardyn would have ever been happy. He'd lived too long. He'd had too many grudges. Fulfill one, and he'd just move onto the next one. It never would have ended.

Luna's voice was soft as down when she said, "I'm glad he's at peace now."

Noctis didn't say anything to that, but Prompto nodded his head a little bit. "Me too. I'm glad he gets to rest now. Maybe he's better on the other side." Prompto had no idea what Ardyn had been like before the madness, or even before being a wolf, but Prompto would choose to believe he'd been a good person. He hoped that whatever was after death, that there, Ardyn was that person, and not the person he'd died as.

"Go home," Luna told them. "Go home and enjoy your own newfound peace for a little while."

They did. They all got into their car, with Noctis at the wheel, and Gladio changed forms again on the way home. Ignis woke up just long enough to get through the front door on his own steam, only to fall back asleep the moment he managed to get to Noct's bed. The rest of them weren't far behind, ditching shoes and clothing, putting on the bare minimum of bed clothes themselves before tangling themselves up in Noct's bed. Prompto was so tired and they were so tangled up that he was truly unsure of where his own hands were, but it didn't matter. Sleep took him even before Baby could decided who's side she was going to sleep on herself.


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday! Happy Final Chapter!
> 
> I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you for going on this journey with me and sticking it out until the end! That said, this isn't the end of the ride, so to speak. I've mentioned it before, but I do have plans to write little things about after the end of the story in their own story, which will be called _Coming Home._
> 
> It's setup will be much like _Summer Home_ , and the first chapter will be up two weeks from today, so if you're interested in reading it, please subscribe to the series, if you haven't already.
> 
> I will also be writing other things for FFXV, and I already have one co-written story four chapters in.
> 
> I hope to be writing for this fandom for a long time to come, and I hope to see all of you in my future works as well. <3333
> 
> Please, enjoy the chapter, and thank you again.

Slowly.

...Slowlyyyyy...

It was both a fight against time and a fight against sound, because he didn't have a lot of time, but any noise at all would completely defeat his purpose anyway. If he could just do this without fumbling or dropping his target in the next like ten seconds this would be--

BZZT! BZZT! BZZT! BZZT!

Dammit.

Prompto looked over at the bed, where Baby hadn't even lifted her head up, but Ignis' eyes were open, and were definitely staring straight at him. "Whoops," he said in between a nervous laugh. Ignis was totally going to kill him now.

"Prompto," he began, and yessiree, that was the voice of death. "It is not polite to steal one's phone." A hand was uncovered from blankets and held out, and, defeated, Prompto placed the still screeching phone in Ignis' grasp, where the alarm was finally turned off. "Now, you are going to tell me why you were trying to run off with it."

"I. Uh. I just wanted to turn off the alarm."

"Because...?"

"Because I was going to cancel date night so you can sleep." Man, Ignis just had this way of looking at you that made you feel like you were ten years old, caught with your hand in the cookie jar, and that this was the end of the world. Perhaps he'd gotten it from his days of rearing Noct, but it was still just the worst feeling in the world. "You're tired! You worked all day!" He tried to reason. "I wanted you to rest. The guys would understand."

"You're sweet, but sitting in the middle of a room, telling someone else what to do for three hours hardly counts as working all day." Ignis was starting to sit up now, and Prompto wanted to do nothing more than to put his hands on his shoulders and make him lie down again. "And it's dinner. I think I can handle sitting in a restaurant for a couple more hours eating food with my beloveds."

Prompto made a strained sound in the back of his throat. He knew that Ignis had a point. Ignis always had a point. But. Still. Prompto had watched Ignis come back from the cafe, he'd seen him eat lunch and then head right to bed as though he'd been running around on his feet all day. He knew that he had people doing the legwork for him, and he knew he had Coctura making sure he didn't strain himself too much "before his surgery." But there was still the emotional drain. Prompto still couldn't set foot in the cafe, not that he'd been overfond of it before. He didn't know how Ignis could stay in there for hours and still come out whole. It was beyond him.

"I don't like it," he said at length, shifting his weight between his feet. "I want you to be well."

"I'm getting better every day."

"I know."

A hand was placed against his cheek and lips pressed firmly against his forehead. Prompto smiled, a warmth spreading across his chest. "Sight check," he whispered, and Ignis chuckled, the vibration tickling his forehead a little before those lips pulled back. Ignis studied him. His eyes were mostly green again, but there was still some cloudiness that told him Ignis' sight was far from perfect.

"I cannot see that your eyes are blue," Ignis told him, "But I tell you're smiling, and your teeth are white."

For a moment, Prompto was tempted to ask what his eyes did look like, if they weren't blue, but he decided he didn't really want the answer to that, and instead teasingly asked, "Is Baby still a demon cat with no paws and a cutoff tail?" Oh, Prompto would forever remember the day Ignis' sight had been good enough that he'd actually seen Baby for the first time. He'd startled so badly that he's almost jumped into Gladio's lap. Not that Gladio would have complained about having Ignis in his lap. But. It would always be funny.

Ignis turned, glancing back at the bed, where Baby played her role perfectly and meowed. "Unfortunately yes."

"She's the cutest demon though, right?"

"Naturally."

Ignis turned back to him, and Prompto took the opportunity to pull him down for a proper kiss, with lips on lips, and pressing forward into tongue, and sounds, and-- "Trying to ply me back into bed with kisses will only prove the point that I am well enough for a dinner date."

Prompto huffed, defeated again. He supposed that was true, of course. If Ignis was well enough to make out with him, he was well enough to sit in a chair and eat, but... "Maybe after date then? Maybe more than kissing?" Maybe without clothing separating them. Maybe with Ignis' hands exactly where he actually wanted them. Maybe with his mouth wrapped around--

"If you decide you still want me after our date, certainly." A finger was pressed squarely against his nose, and space, too much space, was pushed between them. "But for now, I am going to shower, and Noctis should return at any moment." Prompto pouted, knowing better than to even try suggesting a shower together. Ignis did not shower with someone else unless it was _after_ , and so he was left utterly bereft until Noctis returned some ten minutes later.

"You look upset."

"Iggy wouldn't have sex with me. He ditched me for a shower," he half-whined, and Noctis laughed at him, because of course he did, the asshole.

"Would it make you feel better if I had sex with you?"

"Maybe, but you don't want to."

"Do we have to go through my mints analogy again?"

"No," Prompto sulked. He got it, he actually really did, like it was a brilliant way to explain it, except gum was a better way to put it for him. He didn't buy gum, but when gum was offered it was totally like 'Ooh, gum. I like gum.' "Not ready to test that theory though."

"Don't need to test it. I know how it is. You can come to me whenever. Just I'm probably not gonna come to you. So? Yes? No?"

Prompto frowned more, and glanced at the clock. "No. Not today. Iggy's gonna be out soon, and then we'll need to go, and...it's not really that that's bugging me."

"I know," Noctis threw himself down next to Prompto and pushed their knees together. "So tell me what it really is, and don't say Specs' health either. He's fine, or at least better, and I think you know it."

"I hate it when you get all alpha-y on me. Knowing shit you shouldn't know."

"Part of the territory, sorry, Prom." Noct sat his head on his shoulder, and that quelled a little bit of the annoyance in Prompto's gut. "So tell me?"

Okay. Deep breath. One. Two. Three. "It's been three months."

He'd been complaining about Noctis knowing too much not even a minute beforehand, but there was a huge amount of relief that Noctis didn't have to ask him what he meant by three months. All he said was, "Yeah. It has. What about it?"

"I. Don't know. I. Thought I'd be better, I guess?" He shrugged, jostling Noct's head a little, making him press his head into into him to make him keep it still. _My perch_ , the motion seemed to stay. _Perches don't move_.

"Lemme get this straight; this guy stalked, harassed, changed, and held you hostage for a year."

"Yeah."

"You escape, to us, see him once within six months, don't see him again for over a year, but dream about the guy a lot, almost every night, haunted by him, even as you're healing, and then, in less than a month, he kills a woman who looks like you, almost kills Specs, kidnaps you, and you're forced to kill him with your own hand."

"...Yeah?"

"And you thought that you'd be _better_ in three months?"

"Dude, when you put it like that--" Man, it sounded downright absurd when you put it like that.

"He dominated your life for what? Almost? Over? Three years. Saying you thought you'd be better in three months is...I dunno, crazy. None of us are over it, Prom. I still go to bed at night and I make sure Ignis is breathing. I can feel that he's still there, but I gotta make sure, physically, that he's alive, and I know Gladio can't sleep unless you're in bed with him. We all know he's," Noctis lifted his head a bit to nod it back toward the bathroom where Ignis was still showering, "Putting up a good front, but he's only just getting back into the cafe now, and he still can't see clearly. Even Luna is still picking up the pieces at the estate. It'll be years before the fae trust her enough to come for another gala, and they're not sure exactly how he did it. Exactly what magic or spells he used, if he had help, if there are only spells still in place. He gone, but his ghost still lingers."

They sat together in silence until the sounds of the shower finally shut off. "Do you need a therapist?"

"I don't want a therapist." He didn't want to feel like he was crazy, and besides, what would he say to a therapist? 'Hi, I'm a werewolf, and I was kidnapped by another werewolf and tortured for a year. Now, I'm part of a pack that I love intensely, and then asshole werewolf came back and nearly killed my second in command, and then I had to kill him after he kidnapped me again. Now, I'm sleeping with two men and kissing a third, and it's not helping me forget all the shit the first werewolf put us through.' Yeah. No. That didn't sound crazy at all. He'd be locked up in a second, and then Ignis would have to come up with some crazy plot to get him out, and then he's be waking up in the middle of the night screaming to _that_.

"If you change your mind--"

"I'll go to Iggy first, because you can't even remember what day of the week it is half the time."

Noctis chuckled. "Fair. Seriously though. I want you to have what you need. We have a long time to live, our own personal forever. Let's make it as pleasant as possible."

"Maybe I just need time? And my pack?"

"You'll always have us. That much I can definitely promise." Somehow, Noctis pressed himself even more firmly into Prompto's side, and then the bathroom door opened, and Noctis was pushing Prompto to his feet. "Help Specs pick out clothes? He still can't see all the patterns."

Prompto dawdled long enough to press a kiss to the side of Noct's head before he went off into Ignis' room, which was now used much the same as his own room. It had a bed, it was made, but Prompto wasn't sure when the last time Ignis had actually slept in it was. He was always in Noct's bed, or their's. Now, this room was mostly his dressing room. Eventually, Prompto suspected it would become an office, with filing cabinets and the like.

"What do you want to wear?"

"I'll leave it up to you."

"Dangerous decision."

Ignis smiled. "I trust you."

Before, Ignis' closet had been full of things like suits, but those were forbidden to him now. Luna had come by a week after the gala and taken almost all this clothing, every pair of glasses he'd perhaps ever owned, and told him to not style his hair. Such things had apparently been the price of the ring that he kept hidden in a box in one corner of his dresser. Prompto wasn't sure if there was a time limit on that, or if it was forever. That detail had been kept between Luna and Ignis, and when he'd asked, Ignis had told him it didn't matter. It was a price he was happy to pay. His closet now was full of layers, but in a different way. His pants were mostly jeans now, dark wash, his tops were sweaters, and turtlenecks, and cardigans, and-- "Leopard print? Really?"

"Lunafreya told me that button ups are acceptable, so long as it's not a solid color."

"Iggy? This is purple leopard print. _Purple_."

"I fail to _see_ the problem." It took Prompto a second to get the pun there. See. He couldn't see it at all. Perhaps he knew it had leopard print, but colors were mostly still beyond him, so, of course he failed to see the problem. Ugh.

"Iggy, that was bad."

"I have no idea what you mean, darling."

"Uh huh." Just to spite him, he took the purple leopard print, and a soft gray cardigan that was especially pleasing to his fingertips. Unfortunately the move backfired, because by the time Ignis was pulling on his shoes, Prompto had realized that goddammit if purple leopard print didn't look good on him, and with the gray cardigan it wasn't overwhelming, and fitted jeans were just...just...so. "I hate you, just a little bit."

"And why is that?" He sounded amused damn him.

"You're a clotheshorse."

"Aren't we all?"

"Uh. No? Gladio's too wide in the shoulders and both Noct and I are too short. You are a damn clotheshorse. You."

Ignis chuckled at him, the bond between them radiating faint amusement, before he asked, "Could you hand my my cane?"

"Sure thing." Prompto didn't think Ignis needed the cane per se anymore, but it seemed to make him feel safer when out of the house, and Prompto was definitely not ever going to try and deny him something that made him feel safer.

When they got back out to the living room, Noctis had redressed too, the smell of the shelter muffled by the new clothes and a perfume that Prompto didn't find horribly offensive, and then they went out to the car. Noctis slipped into the driver's seat before Prompto could, and Ignis settled comfortably in the back seat. The car revved when Noctis turned the key, and they drove...right...past...the library.

"Aren't we picking up Gladio?"

"Gladio's gonna meet us there."

"Why?"

"I'm sure he has his reasons. Humor him." Ignis' amused tone was highly suspicious, and Prompto turned in his seat to give him a stare that he hoped Ignis could see well enough to know was meant to convey a sense of 'you're up to something.' He probably couldn't, but he chuckled at him all the same, and Prompto whirled himself back around to fall back against the seat with a whump.

He pouted through two stoplights before something else occurred to him. "I don't even know where we're going!"

"No?" Noct was grinning! Grinning! This was on purpose!

"No, I don't!"

Now he was chuckling! And behind them he could see Ignis was hiding his mouth behind a hand! So on purpose! "I guess you'll just have to see when we get there."

"I don't like surprises!" Which, wasn't totally true, but he didn't like surprises when everyone else was in on it! And he knew it was happening! Ugh!

"You'll like this one," Ignis said gently, "I assure you."

"Hmph," Prompto crossed his arms, and it did not help his mood at all that it made Noctis full on laugh and almost run a red light. He settled in to pout for the rest of the ride, partially because he was a little miffed, and partially because it might make them tell him. Unfortunately, his pouting seemed to have no effect on his packmates whatsoever, and Prompto was left pouting until he realized what parking lot Noctis was actually pulling into. "Noodles and Company?"

"Don't look at me, Gladio picked it out." Noctis pulled the keys out of the ignition, and both he and Ignis were out of the car before Prompto had even gotten out of his seat belt.

"I've never been here before," Ignis was saying as Noctis closed the door. His voice was strained, indicating to Prompto that he was trying very hard not to judge it before he tried it. "Would you please read me the menu when we get inside?"

"Sure thing, Specs. We'll have a bit of time to decide." Outside the car, Noctis was making sure that Ignis didn't trip on the curb, even though Prompto was entirely sure that Ignis could at least see the curb. Their eyes met, and Noctis grinned and mouthed _'Good luck_ ' at him. Good luck? Good luck with what?

There was a knock on his car window, and Prompto nearly jumped through the roof. On the other side of the glass was just Gladio though, and Prompto smiled, even as his heart went a thousand miles an hour from the surprise. "You wanna get out of the car?"

"Nah," Prompto said, making a show of settling comfortably in his seat. "I'm just gonna stay here and hope noodles levitate my way."

Gladio snorted with laughter. "I don't think noodles work like that."

"Aw," he fake whined. "Fine." Gladio opened the car door for him, and Prompto climbed on out. The door had barely been shut behind him when Prompto found himself face to face with a bouquet of flowers. "For me?"

"For you."

"Thanks." Gingerly, Prompto took the flowers in his hands and smelled. They were the sort of early autumn flowers that smelled mostly like hay fever, but that was okay. They were big, bright, and the dominant color was yellow. They weren't elegant and romantic red roses, and Prompto liked it that way. He couldn't say he hated roses, but he really liked it better when a bit more thought was put into stuff like this. Gladio had definitely picked flowers that suited him. "They're beautiful."

"Just like the man holding them."

That made Prompto blush, and he ducked his head behind the bouquet, hiding it, even though he was sure that Gladio could probably feel it. He thought that both Noctis and Ignis were more beautiful than he was, and Gladio definitely landed in the realm of infinitely more handsome, but it was always nice to hear someone whose opinion mattered tell him they thought he was beautiful too. Even though it was also totally embarrassing, and he didn't like blushing this way. "No flowers for Iggy or Noct?" The question was somewhere between a tease and a distraction, but Gladio's answer was anything but.

"No. Just for you today."

"Why?" There was something significant in the fact that only he was getting flowers tonight. Gladio was a very equal lover between them, if one got something, they all got something. So why was it only going to be him tonight?

"I don't know if you remember, but, the day you came to us, I brought you to a Noodles and Company. Not this one, but one."

"I remember."

"You do?"

"Uh huh." Soft, faded memories of what felt like a century ago now. So much had happened between then and now, but he remembered. He'd felt so small and scared, and on one hand it felt like nothing had changed. On the other hand it felt like he was a totally different person.

"Do you remember the first thing I said to you?"

Prompto nodded, his eyes drifting down to look at the flowers instead of Gladio's face. He definitely remembered that too. His mate, Gladio had called him. A confusing and scary thing when he'd said it. Not anymore. "I remember that Iggy made you "walk it off" too."

Gladio laughed, and Prompto smiled, thinking about how much he loved that laugh. How much he'd come to love everything about Gladio. "He did, and then he chewed me out later for freaking you out within five seconds of meeting you." He laughed again, fondly, but it faded too quickly before he added. "I've been thinking about them a lot lately, those first words. Iggy thought they were impulsive, that I would regret them, or the feeling would fade. The truth is I feel more strongly about those words every day. You told me once that you like labels. You like knowing where you stand."

"Yeah," Prompto rasped out through a clenched throat. He was starting to see where this was going, and suddenly he was terrified to be wrong. He very much did not want to be wrong. "I do."

"Well, I don't want you to label me as your boyfriend anymore."

"No?" In almost any other situation, he would be thinking that Gladio was breaking up with him, but just then, as he couldn't look Gladio in the eyes, he was hoping for something else. It was that very something else that he got seconds later.

"I would like for you to label me as your mate."

"Formally?" It was terrible, how unromantically his voice squeaked. It was even more terrible how Gladio laughed at it.

"Yes. Formally. I want you, Prompto Argentum, to formally be my mate. Would you like that too?"

A small gasp escaped his lips as he felt a sensation fill his chest that he'd only felt once before. The hole. The hole in the pack bonds that indicated a question that needed an answer. Last time he'd felt it, Ignis and Noctis had left the hole open for hours, but Prompto didn't need hours. He only needed about ten seconds.

"What are you doing?"

"Give me a second!"

Opening the car door, that was what he was doing. Or it was what he was trying to do. Wrenching it open with more force than he'd intended, and throwing the bouquet of flowers in with a similar force before it was shut again. Prompto held out his hands, fingers wiggling. With a laugh, Gladio slid their hands together, fingers intertwined, and Prompto nodded to himself. This. This was how it was meant to be, now he just had to say it.

" _Formally_ , yeah. I would like that a lot."

For the bonds between them, that was more than enough of an answer to fill the hole as quickly as it had been opened. In place of that brief emptiness, Prompto found himself filled with a wave of different emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. There were so many of them, not all of them good, even as he was sure that the flood Gladio got wasn't all positive, but at the top of the list of a giddy happiness that made them laugh in tandem, and in his head his wolf leaped for joy. A second later it surprised to realize that his wolf did not leap for joy alone. Now he had Gladio's wolf. Now, he would always have Gladio's wolf. Now, they would always have each other.

"My mate," Gladio rumbled, leaning down. Prompto pushed himself up on tiptoes to meet him halfway, not in a kiss, but in their foreheads pressing together. In that moment, it felt like the most intimate thing they could have possibly done.

"My mate," Prompto returned, his face heating up at the words. Not embarrassment. He was flushed with joy and happiness. It wouldn't last, he knew. It was a high, and soon enough they would have to come down from it and head inside to join their other boyfriends. It wouldn't last, and it wasn't healing. This wasn't going to magically make everything better. He still had nightmares ahead, perhaps for a long time. He knew that, tonight he'd probably wake up screaming again, but the thought didn't bother him just then. Instead, he was grinning as they pulled apart for a second, only to kiss the next.

It felt like their first kiss all over again, full of electricity that tingled down to his toes. His mate. His fated one. The lightning in his veins.

Not even an hour ago Noctis had reminded him that they had a long time to live. Their own personal forever, he'd called it. Prompto knew that this was it. The first true step down their own forever together. Everything else in his life had been a prelude to this moment here, where he'd mated with Gladio.

After all, what was forever worth if you couldn't share it with the ones you most loved?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin. <3


End file.
